On The Whole, The American Population Has Very Little Taste For Income GMAT Reading Comprehension

Reading Passage Question

On the whole, the American population has very little taste for income redistribution as economic policy. Beginning in the 1930s, public opinion polls have rarely shown strong support for income redistribution; during times of economic hardship, the percentage of Americans in favor of such a system has barely crested 50 percent. Similarly, Americans have been reluctant to press for a limit on the profits of big corporations, with less than a third of those polled in the 20 year span between 1950 and 1970 favoring such a policy.

Even during the Depression, the populace was reluctant to embrace income redistribution as a solution to the country’s woes. In 1939, over 60 percent of respondents indicated that the government should not increase taxes on the wealthy and an overwhelming majority—over 80 percent—rejected the idea of the government confiscating wealth. Clearly, the American spirit of Lockean liberalism and rugged individualism runs deep. It appears that most people are content to trust income distribution to the private market.

Of course, while overall support for income distribution remains low on average, there are some significant differences in levels of support based on income levels. As expected, those in the lowest income bracket demonstrate the strongest support for employment and income maintenance programs. However, contrary to expectations, these differences in support were not largest during the volatile economic times of the 1930s and 1940s. Rather, the documented differences in support based on income have been relatively stable over time. On the whole, political scientists have noticed anywhere from a 22 percent to 34 percent difference between the opinions of those classified as “prosperous” and those classified as “poor” on the question of income redistribution.

“On the whole, the American population has very little taste for income”- is a reading comprehension exercise for the GMAT. Candidates must be extremely skilled in GMAT reading comprehension. This GMAT reading comprehension section contains 4 comprehension questions. The GMAT Reading Comprehension questions are designed to assess candidates' ability to comprehend, analyzation, and application skills. GMAT Reading Comprehension Practice Questions can help candidates who are actively preparing.

Solutions and Explanation

1. The main point made by the passage is that

1. The American spirit of Lockean liberalism is primarily responsible for the population’s rejection of income redistribution.
2. Despite some variations in support based on income levels, the American population on the whole views income redistribution policies with disfavor, even during times of economic hardship.
3. Although polls have indicated some variation in response level, on the whole, less than 50 percent of Americans support income redistribution.
4. Poll results on government income redistribution policies have remained stable over time, even during periods of economic hardship.
5. Income redistribution is not viewed as the solution to economic difficulties by the majority of American citizens.

2. The passage states that differences in support for governmental income redistribution policies

1. defied expectations by showing that those in lower income brackets had less support for these programs than those in higher income brackets
2. vary greatly depending the income level of respondents and the economic conditions at the time the poll is taken
3. are not, for the most part, significantly affected by outside influences
4. are not significantly different due to the American ideal of rugged individualism
5. are based solely on differences in the income levels of respondents

3. Which of the following can be inferred from the passage?

1. During the Depression, a smaller percentage of Americans supported raising taxes than supported government confiscation of wealth
2. Today, about a third of Americans support limits on corporate profits
3. Before 1930, a majority of Americans supported income distribution

1. none
2. I only
3. I and II only
4. I and III only
5. I, II, and III

This is an inference question. None of the statements are true, although each of them is cleverly worded to make you believe they are. The first statement reverses the relationship in the passage. During the Depression, around 60 percent of the people were against tax increases, which means about 40 percent supported them or had no opinion, while 80 percent were opposed to government confiscation of property, meaning 20 percent supported it or had no opinion. Thus, a larger percentage supported raising taxes. The passage only gives data from 1950 to 1970 on corporate profits, so you can’t infer what people think today. And no information is provided on opinions previous to 1930. Thus, none of the statements can be properly inferred.

4. An assumption underlying the author’s assertion in the second paragraph is that

1. the private market is the best way to distribute income in an economy
2. Americans had never experienced economic hardships as severe as those experienced during the Great Depression
3. Lockean liberalism and rugged individualism entail a reliance on private markets for income distribution
4. the government had no intentions of confiscating property during the Great Depression
5. income redistribution would be insufficient to solve the country’s economic woes during the Great Depression

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