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How to Answer GMAT RC Primary Purpose Question

GMAT
Reading Comprehension

GMAT Reading Comprehension primary purpose questions are seeking your ability to find structure in a passage, except that the test creators want to see how you interpret the author’s intent.

1) Summarize the Passage

Finding the structure of a passage or the reason for the author to use an argument in paragraph one before paragraph two requires a breakdown of the passage into paragraphs. Unlike other summary creations, while writing a summary for questions on the structure of the passage or purpose questions, write it from the perspective of the author – the intent.


2) Rely on Process of Elimination

The test creator would use answer choices with terms like ‘development’, ‘phenomenon’, ‘historical artifact’ and other fancy terms that you are unlikely to find in the passage. Spending time guessing the broader generalization of an event/occurrence is a wasteful exercise. Go straight to the answer choices.


3) Replace event/personality with terms in Answer Choices

An event might be translated as an ‘occurrence’ or a ‘phenomenon’. Depending on how you interpret the event, the meaning changes and so will the answer choices. Carefully learning the difference between each interpretation is necessary to answer the ‘purpose’ question.

Commonly quoted interpretation of an event in GMAT RC purpose question are:


• Development – something that happened recently (within the last few hours or days or decades, depending on the timeline captured in the passage)

• Occurrence – not frequent to generalize
• Proceeding – concerning legal or administration
• Episode - mostly related to health
• Incident - mostly related to health or security
• Circumstance – often a nuanced explanation of an event
• Occasion – used to contrast an event from another
• Phenomenon – mostly used to describe a unique development

The verb used to describe how the author interprets the event would also vary:


• Provide – offers information in a neutral tone

• Assess – breakdown the information
• Discuss – dives into the specifics with examples to make a point
• Evaluate – would mostly involve numbers
• Estimate – likely to include some predictions of a future event
• Debate – takes a strong position against the premise in the initial paragraph
• Dispute – quotes an opposing point of view to reach another conclusion
• Study – comprehensive breakdown of multiple factors
• Explore – transitions into topics that are larger or smaller in scope
• Review – performs a comprehensive study of various factors


<Start of Passage - GMAT RC Primary Purpose>

The Maastricht Treaty, signed on Feb 7th, 1992 and came to existence on Nov 1st, 1993, can be termed as the first formal treaty that led to the creation of the European Union. Initially, Denmark, France and Great Britain rejected the treaty in its original format and with the Edinburgh Agreement in Dec 1992 and a second referendum on 18 May 1993, Denmark adopted the treaty with exceptions, namely with provisions on Citizenship, Unified Economic and monetary policies, and defense policies, Justice and Home Affairs. The adoption of the treaty required approval from the citizens of each member states. France narrowly adopted the referendum in September 1992, with 51.05% in favor. Britain has consistently opposed the idea of currency unification with the Euro, although some provisions of the Maastricht treaty were supported.

The treaty initiated the unification of the European community in areas of criminal justice and intergovernmental cooperation. However, the advantages of the Euro as a currency over national currencies for stronger European economies have yet to be established. Almost all European states are following an economic cycle of boom and bust, with UK’s economy showing a high correlation with that of the US. Lack of a federal structure to control inflation, interest rate and taxes in the European Union have made it difficult for ECB to formulate effective monetary policies.

The success of the EU depends on each state, and weak links in the system can destabilize the entire union, as has been the case with the crisis in Greece, Ireland and Spain. With a unified monetary policy, the central bank has exposure to debts in weak economies. Politicians of strong economies must convince the parliament, the people and other member states about a justifiable bailout package. Since the risk on Euro increases with interest rate hikes and a higher economic growth further increases the risk of inflation, strong economies naturally opt for interest rate hikes to compensate inflation. Each country, its economy and people have different sensitiveness towards inflation and interest rate hikes. When an economy is faced with debt, unemployment and slow demand, interest rate hikes can be catastrophic. With the abolishment of independent monetary policies, Euro faces the risk of dissolution.

<End of Passage - GMAT RC Primary Purpose>

Q) The purpose of the passage is in:

a) providing the context of a historical phenomenon and the long-term advantages
b) underlying one interpretation of a historical phenomenon
c) assessing the merits and weaknesses of a historical phenomenon
d) discussing the historical importance of a treaty

e) evaluating the liabilities of a historical phenomenon

Answer


Paragraph 1: History of The Maastricht Treaty and the origin of the Euro. Britain opposed currency unification with the Euro. France narrowly adopted the Euro. Denmark adopted some provisions.

Paragraph 2: Euro is a liability for strong economies. Lack of federal structure in EURO made it difficult for ECD to formulate monetary policies.

Paragraph 3: Weak Links destabilize the Union. Greece, Ireland and Spain - weak. Unified Monetary policy - Central Banks - exposure to debts. Bailout package.  

Strong Economies = Favor Interest Rate Hikes to combat inflation.

Interest rate hikes have a catastrophic effect on weaker economies.

The author attributes the abolishment of independent monetary policies as the biggest risk to Euro.

Q) The primary purpose of the passage is in:

a) providing the context of a historical phenomenon and the long-term advantages


Clearly, the author is against the implementation of the Euro. Eliminate.


b) underlying one interpretation of a historical phenomenon


The author has maintained right from paragraph two that the implementation of the Euro has many disadvantages. Keep it.

c) assessing the merits and weaknesses of a historical phenomenon

The merits are hardly mentioned; hence, this answer choice is wrong. Eliminate.

d) discussing the historical importance of a treaty

Although the author provides the context for The Maastricht Treaty, the passage’s primary purpose is not about the treaty. Eliminate.

e) evaluating the liabilities of a historical phenomenon


Although the author has mentioned the liability of weaker economies on Euro with the line, “The success of the EU depends on each state, and weak links in the system can destabilize the entire union, as has been the case with the crisis in Greece, Ireland and Spain,” the primary purpose is not the same. Eliminate.


Option B broadly answers the primary purpose of the passage.

Correct Answer: B

Essential GMAT Reading Comprehension Guide (2023 Edition)


Chapters

  • Collecting and Interpreting Facts: GMAT Reading Comprehension    

  • Effective Note-taking for GMAT Reading Comprehension   

  • 5 Questions to Speed up Summary Creation   

  • Mastering GMAT Reading Comprehension: 3 Best Practices   

  • How to Remember Information   

  • How to improve comprehension by Questioning the Author   

  • How to Read Faster   

  • How to Answer GMAT Reading Comprehension Title question

  • How to Answer GMAT Reading Comprehension Main Idea Question   

  • How to Answer GMAT Reading comprehension inference question   

  • How to Answer GMAT Reading Comprehension Purpose Question   

  • How to Answer GMAT Reading Comprehension Detail Question   

  • How to Answer the GMAT organization of passage Question   

  • How to Improve GMAT Reading Comprehension Score?   

Passage #1: Protein-Rich Diet    Passage #2: Pregnant Women and Stress Management   
Passage #3: F Losing Momentum   
Passage #4: Conservatives and Automation   
Passage #5: Collaboration, Team size and Performance   
Passage #6: Effective Altruism   
Passage #7: Loneliness Epidemic   
Passage #8: Space Exploration   
Passage #9: Lab-Grown Meat   
Passage #10: Minimum Wage in the US   
Passage #11: AI and Creativity   
Passage #12: Bias Against Healthcare in Developing Economies   
Passage #13: Legacy Admissions   
Passage #14: Plastic Ban and alternatives   
Passage #15: Underestimating Homo Sapiens   
Passage #16: Conspiracy Theories   
Passage #17: Relative Poverty   
Passage #18: Why Paintings are expensive   
Passage #19: US Obesity Epidemics   
Passage #20: The Future of Advertising   
Passage #21: Breaking Large Companies   
Passage #22: Helicopter Parenting   
Passage #23: Future of Democracy   
Passage #24: Technology and Global Citizenship  

Passage #25: Morality and Investment   

Answers: 157 to 294

Pages: 295

Questions: 100+

Download F1GMAT's Essential GMAT Reading Comprehension Guide (2023 Edition)

 

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Mastering GMAT Critical Reasoning (2023 Edition)


Chapters
1) Introduction   
2) 6 Step Strategy to solve GMAT Critical Reasoning Questions   
3) How to overcome flawed thinking in GMAT Critical Reasoning?   
4) 4 GMAT Critical Reasoning Fallacies   
5) Generalization in GMAT Critical Reasoning   
6) Inconsistencies in Arguments   
7) Eliminate Out of Scope answer choices using Necessary and Sufficient Conditions   
8) Ad Hominem in GMAT Critical Reasoning   
9) Slippery Slope in GMAT Critical Reasoning   
10) Affirming the Consequent – GMAT Critical Reasoning   
11) How to Paraphrase GMAT Critical Reasoning Question   
12) How to Answer Assumption Question Type   
13) How to Answer Conclusion Question Type   
14) How to Answer Inference Question Type   
15) How to Answer Strengthen Question Type   
16) How to Answer Weaken Question Type   
17) How to Answer bold-faced and Summary Question Types   
18) How to Answer Parallel Reasoning Questions   
19) How to Answer the Fill in the Blanks Question   
Question Bank   
Question 1: 5G Technology (Inference)   
Question 2: Water Purifier vs. Minerals (Fill in the Blanks)   
Question 3: Opioid Abuse (Strengthens)   
Question 4: Abe and Japan’s Economy (Inference)   
Question 5: Indians and Pulse Import (Weakens)   
Question 6: Retail Chains in Latin America (Assumption)   
Question 7: American Tax Rates – Republican vs. Democrats (Inference)   
Question 8: AI – China vs the US (Weakens)   
Question 9: Phone Snooping (Strengthens)   
Question 10:  Traditional Lawns (Assumption)   
Question 11:  Appraisal-Tendency Framework (Inference)   
Question 12:  Meta-Analysis of Diet Trials (Weakens)   
Question 13:  Biases in AI (Strengthens)   
Question 14:  Stock Price and Effectiveness of Leadership (Inference)   
Question 15:  US Border Wall (Weakens)   
Question 16:  Driverless Car and Pollution (Assumption)   
Question 17:  Climate Change (Inference)   
Question 18:  Rent a Furniture (Weakens)   
Question 19:  Marathon Performance and Customized Shoes (Weakens)   
Question 20:  Guaranteed Basic Income (Assumption)   
Question 21:  Brexit (Infer)   
Question 22:  AB vs Traditional Hotels (Assumption)   
Question 23:  Tax Incentive and Job Creation (Weakens)   
Question 24:  Obesity and Sleeve Gastrectomy (Inference)   
Question 25:  Recruiting Executives (Weaken)   

Answers with Detailed Explanation
 
 
 
 

Winning MBA Essay Guide - A Complete Guide for M7 and Top 15 MBA Application Essays 


F1GMAT's Winning MBA Essay guide will teach you how to transform your essay into a life journey with trials and tribulations that will move the admission team.

+ Over 245 Sample Essays (Read Previews of F1GMAT's Winning MBA Essay Guide Sample Essays here)

+ Top 15 MBA Programs (Harvard, Stanford, Wharton, Columbia, Booth, MIT, Kellogg, Yale, Haas, Darden, INSEAD, LBS, NYU Stern, Tuck, Duke Fuqua, Ross)
+ The Art of Storytelling 
+ Leadership Narratives
+ Review Tips
+ Persuasion Strategies
+ The Secret to "unleashing" your unique voice
+ How to prepare and present for the Video Essay
+ How to write about your Strengths
+ How to write about your Weaknesses
 
 

Want to try the individual school Essay Guides before upgrading to the Winning MBA Essay Guide? Try below.

F1GMAT's Essay Guides

  • Harvard MBA Essay Guide (20 Sample Essays)

    Growth-Oriented Essay: Curiosity can be seen in many ways. Please share an example of how you have demonstrated curiosity and how that has influenced your growth. (up to 250 words) 

    Example #1: Persistence Narrative 
    Background Information: The applicant – a design and music talent, shares her journey through several setbacks. She attributes curiosity to her growth.  
    Curiosity: Philosophy  
    Curiosity (Explained): Curiosity as a philosophy is tough to translate into a narrative unless you are from the creative industry or your contributions had an influence on a solution or an initiative.  
    MBA Essay Strategy: I wanted to capture the humanity of the applicant and her influence in music instead of just highlighting how she overcame multiple roadblocks to gain attention as a designer.  
    Theme: Persistence  
    Read: Harvard MBA Curiosity Essay – Life Starts at NO (Growth-Oriented HBS MBA Essay Example) 

    Example #2: International Community Building 
    Background Information: The applicant, a Machine Learning (ML) entrepreneur specializing in healthcare diagnostics, shares how his curiosity to learn other ML algorithms’ evolution in diagnosing Alzheimer’s, cancer, and heart disease transformed his platform into a global community. 
    MBA Essay Strategy: I wanted to show the applicant’s contributions in diagnostic from 2020 to 2024 by citing two events. Such examples build credibility instead of engagements that were recent. The evolution of the platform from an AI development community to a community for discussing the application of AI in diagnostics is captured through a ‘curiosity’ angle.
    Read: Harvard MBA Curiosity Essay – Growth through Collaboration (AI in Healthcare) (Growth-Oriented HBS MBA Essay Example)

    Example #3: Culture
    Background Information: The applicant, an Entrepreneur from India narrates his first entrepreneurial experience – facilitating exchange of stamps in the late 1990s.
    Theme: Culture
    MBA Essay Strategy:  Instead of addressing the biases in the investor community that could turn preachy, I wanted to focus on the applicant and his entrepreneurial journey by citing two entrepreneurial experiences – a platform(club) for stamp collection and his Grocery delivery App.
    Read: Harvard MBA Curiosity Essay – The American Dream (Growth-Oriented HBS MBA Essay Example)

    Example #4: Addiction
    Background Information: The applicant – a beneficiary of the foster home system, captures the sacrifice his adopted grandparents made to save him from a path of addiction. Paying it back through early intervention among teenagers and community engagement is the curiosity narrative.
    Theme: Addiction
    MBA Essay Strategy:  My strategy is to capture a gratitude narrative in the first one-third of the essay to demonstrate motivation for starting the venture and dedicate the latter part of the essay to the unique solution
    Read: Harvard MBA Curiosity Essay – Drug Addiction and Gaming (Growth-Oriented HBS MBA Essay Example)

    Example #5: Scarcity
    Background Information: The applicant, an education major, recognizes that 70% of all students in Kenya don’t have a computer. The curiosity that drives him to pivot from one solution to another is the growth narrative.
    Theme: Innovation
    MBA Essay Strategy:  Often, innovation is captured with a ‘hero’ narrative where the applicant is the sole originator of an idea. I wanted to break that cliché and include a person from whom the applicant learned to use a concept called ‘scaffolding.’
    Read: Harvard MBA Curiosity Essay – Scarcity (Growth-Oriented HBS Essay Example)

    Example #6: FinTech
    Background Information: The applicant captures a vulnerable moment of a beneficiary to compare his journey of side hustle before a technology giant noticed his talent. Although cryptocurrency is not a flavor for the year, capture niches where innovation is still happening. 
    Theme: Education, Child Welfare
    MBA Essay Strategy:  Empathizing with a techno solution is tough without a strong backstory around the beneficiary. For the essay, I wanted to clearly establish the beneficiary – Rami, before the applicant narrates the similarities to his journey and finally shares the solution that emerged from his curiosity.
    Read: Harvard MBA Curiosity Essay – FinTech as a Tool for Good (Growth-Oriented HBS MBA Essay Example)

    Example #7: Learning from the best
    Background Information: The applicant – a Remote Engineer in the Oil and Gas industry, reflects on a value that has helped her learn from the best regardless of her geographical limitations.
    Theme: Learning
    MBA Essay Strategy:  The effectiveness of the case-study method depends on the assumption that peers in a Harvard MBA class will help elevate your learning experience. For the essay, I have highlighted the applicant’s recognition of this value proposition with three examples.
    Read: Harvard MBA Curiosity Essay – Learning from the Best (Growth-Oriented HBS MBA Essay Example)

    Example #8: Military & Search for IMPACT
    Background Information: The most common narrative for US military applicants is to quote 9/11 and the reaction your immediate family had while watching the events unfold. The horrifying moment is captured as a motivation to join the Military. On digging deeper, most applicants would share that their motivations were diverse.
    Theme: Career Choice
    MBA Essay Strategy:  I wanted to quickly highlight that the applicant had the choice of entering any industry. One achievement to demonstrate his curiosity that I shared in the first half is the invention of a game. Since the game is mentioned in the resume and verifiable through search, I didn’t quote the name. By clearly highlighting the person’s curiosity and career options, the family legacy is used as a factor in joining the military.
    Read: Harvard MBA Curiosity Essay – Career Choice after a Military Career (Growth-Oriented HBS MBA Essay Example)
     
    Leadership-Focused Essay: What experiences have shaped who you are, how you invest in others, and what kind of leader you want to become? (up to 250 words)

    Example #9: Small Business Values
    Background Information: The applicant - a second-generation Asian American, is familiar with the values of fiscal conservatism, building relationships, and understanding the daily struggles of the community through his family’s department store.
    Theme: Customer-Centric
    MBA Essay Strategy:  The applicant’s role in developing an App for the store is highlighted in the essay at a crucial part of the narrative so that the essay is not all about his father. I have also humanized the journey – by sharing how upset the father was when the revenues fell by 40%. The essay is about the transformation in the applicant’s value from a person chasing productivity and optimization technique to someone who is truly thinking about the customers. 
    Read: Harvard MBA Leadership Essay – Small Business Values (Leadership-Focused HBS MBA Essay Example)

    Example #10: Breaking Away from Family Business
    Background Information: A unique challenge that applicants whose parents are public figures or CXOs of businesses or entrepreneurs are the pressure to live up to the parent’s standards or milestones. For the leadership narrative, the burden of legacy is established before the narrative addresses his leadership principles.
    Theme: Authenticity  
    MBA Essay Strategy:  For the essay, I want to capture an entrepreneur’s journey to rise above his entrepreneur father’s image. But I didn’t want to make the entire essay about this complex dynamics. The narrative is around the applicant’s focus on customers and surrounding with teams who keeps him grounded. 
    Read: Harvard MBA Leadership Essay – Breaking Away from Family Business(Leadership-Focused HBS MBA Essay Example)

    Example #11: Creativity and Communication 
    Background Information: When the overall percentage of users with internet access is 62% in South Africa and the inequality accentuated by the rural and urban divide, the applicant endured the lack of digital infrastructure, and spending close to 22% of the family income on gaining relevant information on schools, global exams, and financial assistance. 
    Theme: Creativity, Communication
    MBA Essay Strategy:  The strategy is to share why the applicant values no distraction in a child’s home for optimum education experience. Then I highlight the many roadblocks the applicant’s non-profit faced in receiving fee waiver for their cooperative run ISP.
    Read: Harvard MBA Leadership Essay – Non-Profit (Telecom) (Leadership-Focused HBS MBA Essay Example)

    Example #12: Mental Health
    Background Information: The applicant like most didn’t pay much attention to the mental health epidemic until tragedy hit home.
    Theme: Communication, Innovation
    MBA Essay Strategy:  A question we frequently get from applicants is whether they should cite tragedy in the family as a motivation for a venture or a non-profit initiative. As long as you don’t linger too much on the tragedy and offer a balanced narrative, there are no restrictions on leveraging unique stories from your life. 
    Read: Harvard MBA Leadership Essay – Mental Health (Leadership-Focused HBS MBA Essay Example)

    Example #13: Trauma, Healing & Finding Authentic Self
    Background Information: The applicant narrates the absurdity of war in the narrative about the duties in Kabul, and the trauma. Instead of wallowing in on the horror, the applicant takes what makes military applicants strong and guides unprivileged children build life and leadership skills.
    Theme: Resilience
    MBA Essay Strategy:  Capturing PTSD in an essay, the healing process, and the cues that helped the applicant are too sacred to be shared in a Harvard MBA application essay. However, with the right motivation and narrative arcs, you can capture the essence of your journey without sharing the darkest secrets. That is what I did by merging two stories – the horrors of the war with a non-profit engagement.
    Read: Harvard MBA Leadership Essay – Military & PTSD (Leadership-Focused HBS MBA Essay Example)

    Example #14: Addiction, Setback and Leadership Mantra
    Background Information: In this narrative, the applicant captures Peru’s Silver mining boom of 2006. The growth experienced in her father’s business shifted the family’s economic status to a new stratosphere. Through the changing economic and family dynamics, the applicant finds her voice in a unique way, initially to record her unheard voice but later as one of the youngest subject matter experts in mining and commodities.  
    Theme: Failure
    MBA Essay Strategy:  For the essay, the strategy is to show how life’s unpredictability is a blessing. By narrating two setback events, the essay demonstrates the applicant’s resilience and her acknowledgment of people who made a comeback possible.
    Read: Harvard MBA Leadership Essay – Addiction, Setback and Leadership Mantra (Leadership-Focused HBS MBA Essay Example)

    Example #15: War, Immigration and Starting Over Again
    Background Information: Despite a raging war in Syria, the family of the applicant was unblemished by the chaos. The strategic government assets near the applicant’s house would have made the region an easy target, but it was not. The calmness of her journey is shattered in one event. From the privileges of a cocooned life, the applicant is forced to think about survival, her sister’s future, and her future in the US. The second half of the narrative captures the change that was forced on her. 
    Theme: Gratitude, Resilience
    MBA Essay Strategy:  I consciously chose not to start the essay with a dialogue or trauma. Two lines are allocated to set up the narrative before the trauma event.
    Read: Harvard MBA Leadership Essay – War, Immigration and Starting Over Again (Leadership-Focused HBS MBA Essay Example)

    Harvard MBA Business-Minded Essay: Please reflect on how your experiences have influenced your career choices and aspirations and the impact you will have on the businesses, organizations, and communities you plan to serve. (up to 300 words)

    Example #16: Creative or Finance
    Background Information: The applicant starts the narrative with the origin of her talents. The unbridled enthusiasm receives a reality check when in high school, the applicant’s father has a conversation with her about academics. While the applicant picked up her quant skills, she was reaching over 50,000 loyal fans, and her videos captured 1 million views. 
    Theme: Passion, Talent
    MBA Essay Strategy:  Capturing vulnerability is the toughest part for Harvard MBA applicants. For this essay example, I have captured the applicant’s uncertainty about career choice throughout the essay. Here the goal is to show vulnerability in the career choice essay while for leadership and growth essay, I could capture one example each from creative and PE industry respectively to balance the narrative. So don’t follow this example without a strategy.  
    Read: Harvard MBA Business-Minded Essay – Creative or Finance (Business-Minded HBS MBA Essay Example)

  • Stanford MBA Essay Guide (24 Sample Essays)
  • Columbia MBA Essay Guide (21 Sample Essays)
  • Wharton MBA Essay Guide (15 Sample Essays)
  • INSEAD MBA Essay Guide (19 Sample Essays)
  • Darden MBA Essay Guide  (21 Sample Essays) 
  • Yale SOM MBA Essay Guide (15 Sample Essays)
  • Tuck MBA Essay Guide (15 Sample Essays)
  • Haas MBA Essay Guide (18 Sample Essays)
  • NYU Stern MBA Essay Guide (15 Sample Essays + 6 Examples - Visual Essay)
  • LBS MBA Essay Guide (6 Sample Essays)
  • MIT Sloan MBA Essay Guide (6 Sample Cover Letters + 3 Sample Video Statement Scripts + 3 Sample Optional Essays)
  • Kellogg MBA Essay Guide (11 Sample Essays)
  • Chicago Booth MBA Essay Guide (12 Sample Essays)
  • Ross MBA Essay Guide (31 Sample Essays)
  • Duke Fuqua MBA Essay Guide (10 Sample Essays + Two 25 Random Things Samples)
  • Cambridge MBA Essay Guide (12 Sample Essays)

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