PrepTest 143, Section 3, Question 24
Columnist: On average, about 70 percent of the(49 more words not shown)
Which one of the following(11 more words not shown)
- ATourists in a(29 more words not shown)
- BIn at least(25 more words not shown)
- CIn at least(16 more words not shown)
- DIn general, as(14 more words not shown)
- ETourists who obtain(23 more words not shown)
Reading the argument
Most of the profit leaves the country. And becoming a more established tourist destination tends to increase the share that goes abroad.
The columnist says tourists can counteract this by dealing directly with local people. I might wonder how easily a visitor can tell who owns a business. A stall that looks local could have a foreign owner, for example. But the question isn't asking us to attack that proposal. It asks what the given statements support, so we should accept the stated possibility of keeping more money local.
What we’re looking for
Keep the limits of those statements in view. About 70 percent is an average, not a claim about every country. We're given a proportion, a general trend, and something tourists can do. Which answer stays within what those facts support?
Working the answers
- A
The columnist says tourists can counteract the flow of money abroad by buying directly from locals. That is a description of what they can accomplish, not a rule that they should do it. A adds a recommendation about what tourists ought to prioritize.
- BCorrect
The average foreign share is about 70 percent, comfortably more than half. The general trend is for the share sent abroad to increase as a destination becomes more established. Together, those facts support the modest claim that in at least some of the most established developing-country destinations, most tourism profits go to foreign owners.
We shouldn't get here by assuming every country sends exactly 70 percent abroad. Nor does the average alone identify what happens in the most established destinations. The trend connects that part of the answer to the broader picture. B asks only for some such countries, not every one.
- C
The fact that tourists can obtain services directly from local people doesn't establish that they actually obtain most services that way anywhere. An available option and widespread use of that option are different claims.
- D
A smaller share of a larger total can still be more money. Suppose locals initially receive 30 percent of $100 in profits: $30. Later, they receive only 20 percent of $200: $40. The foreign share rose, but the local amount rose too. These invented numbers show why the reported proportions don't establish that local people become poorer.
- E
Counteracting the effect doesn't mean eliminating every contribution to foreign profits. A tourist might buy lodging from a local person but also use a foreign-owned tourist business for something else. Local providers might also purchase services from foreign-owned businesses. The passage doesn't rule out every such connection, as “in any way” would require.
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