In 1996, the State of Arizona Introduced a Statute GMAT Reading Comprehension

Reading Passage Question

In 1996, the State of Arizona introduced a statute that divests the juvenile court of jurisdiction over juvenile offenders fifteen years of age or older who are accused of first and second-degree murder, forcible sexual
(5) assault, armed robbery, or other violent felony offenses. Opponents have rightfully argued that assigning automatic criminal responsibility to juveniles based solely on their age and the type of offense with which they are charged, many of the extenuating circumstances
(10) that would have previously been considered by juvenile court judges are now largely irrelevant. In fact, if the prosecution finds sufficient grounds for charging a the juvenile offender with, say, armed robbery, juvenile court review will be entirely bypassed and the offender
(15) will automatically be tried in criminal court as an adult. The choice of court, therefore, rests entirely in the discretion of the prosecution. Regrettably, courts have been reluctant to question the constitutionality of such discretion and little hope remains that they would
(20) subject it to judicial review any time soon.

‘In 1996, the State of Arizona introduced a statute’ is a GMAT reading comprehension passage with answers. Candidates need a strong knowledge of English GMAT reading comprehension.

This GMAT Reading Comprehension consists of 7 comprehension questions. The GMAT Reading Comprehension questions are designed for the purpose of testing candidates’ abilities in understanding, analysing, and applying information or concepts. Candidates can actively prepare with the help of GMAT Reading Comprehension Practice Questions.

Solution and Explanation

1. The author mentions armed robbery (line 13) primarily in order to

(A) provide an example of a type of offense with which offenders are rarely charged in juvenile court
(B) show how the prosecution can automatically decide a jurisdictional issue involving some juvenile offenders
(C) illustrate a type of offense that the new statute will make more difficult to prosecute
(D) explain why extenuating circumstances must be considered when assigning criminal responsibility to juvenile offenders
(E) emphasize the severity of the offenses that are typically considered only in cases tried in criminal court

2. Which one of the following words employed by the author is most indicative of the author’s attitude toward the ability of prosecutors to bypass juvenile court review following the passage of the new statute?

(A) rightfully
(B) hope
(C) regrettably
(D) reluctant
(E) divests

3. The passage suggests which one of the following about a sixteen-year old offender charged with armed robbery in the state of Arizona prior to 1996?

(A) The offender could be prosecuted either in juvenile or in criminal court.
(B) The prosecution did not have sufficient grounds to charge the offender with a more serious crime.
(C) The court would consider all extenuating circumstances relevant to his case.
(D) The prosecution could decide to bypass juvenile court review and try the offender in criminal court.
(E) The choice of courts did not rest entirely in the discretion of the prosecution.

4. The author’s main purpose in the passage is to

(A) defend a proposed statutory change against criticism
(B) explain the unforeseen consequences of a legal reform
(C) support a critical evaluation of a statute
(D) criticize the constitutionality of judicial discretion
(E) articulate opposing arguments and propose a reconciliation

Suggested GMAT Reading Comprehension Samples

• In February 1848 the People of Paris Rose in Revolt Against the Constitutional Monarchy of Louis-Philippe GMAT Reading Comprehension
• Over the Last 150 Years, Large Stretches of Salmon Habitat have been Eliminated by Human Activity. GMAT Reading Comprehension
• The Brain Contributes to the Adaptive Success of Animals through the Control and Coordination of Muscle Contractions. GMAT Reading Comprehension
• The Geology of the Grand Canyon Area Exposes One of the Most Complete and Studied Sequences of Rock on Earth. GMAT Reading Comprehension
• The Pioneers of the Teaching of Science Imagined that its Introduction into Education would Remove the Conventionality, Artificiality, and Backward-Lookingness GMAT Reading Comprehension
• The Single-Celled Parasite known as Toxoplasma Gondii Infects more than Half of the World's Human Population GMAT Reading Comprehension
• During the Victorian Period, Women Writers were Measured Against A Social GMAT Reading Comprehension
• In Current Historiography, the Picture of a Consistent, Unequivocal Decline in Women’s Status GMAT Reading Comprehension
• Resin is a Plant Secretion that Hardens when Exposed to Air GMAT Reading Comprehension
• Some Historians Contend that Conditions in the United States During the Second World War GMAT Reading Comprehension
• It Was Once Assumed that All Living Things Could be Divided into Two Fundamental and Exhaustive Categories GMAT Reading Comprehension
• A Fundamental Principle of Pharmacology is that all Drugs have Multiple Actions. Actions that are Desirable in the Treatment of Disease are Considered therapeutic GMAT Reading Comprehension
• Scepticism is as Much the Result of Knowledge, as Knowledge is of Scepticism. GMAT Reading Comprehension
• On the surface, the Conquest of the Aztec Empire by Herman Cortes GMAT Reading Comprehension
• A One-Child Policy was Implemented in China in 1979 GMAT Reading Comprehension
• But Man is Not Destined to Vanish. He can be Killed, but he cannot be Destroyed, Because his Soul is Deathless and his Spirit is Irrepressible. GMAT Reading Comprehension
• Coral Reefs Are One of the Most Fragile, Biologically Complex, And Diverse Marine Ecosystems on Earth GMAT Reading Comprehension
• Although Numbers of Animals in a Given Region May Fluctuate From Year to Year GMAT Reading Comprehension
• Antonia Castañeda has Utilised Scholarship from Women's Studies and Mexican-American History to Examine Nineteenth-Century Literary Portrayals of Mexican Women. GMAT Reading Comprehension
• By 1950, The Results of Attempts to Relate Brain Processes to Mental Experience Appeared Rather Discouraging GMAT Reading Comprehension