MCAT Critical Analysis and Reasoning Skills Question 48: Answer and Explanation

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Test Information

Question: 48

3. The author most likely supports a view of government as an institution that:

  • A. finds the most cost-effective ways to provide for society's needs.
  • B. is wasteful and fits poorly with our times.
  • C. has an important role to play in the modern economy.
  • D. is not as efficient as market mechanisms.

Correct Answer: C

Explanation:

C This is an Inference question.

A: No. The author discusses the value of government in paragraph 6, but does not say that its value lies in cost-effectiveness.

B: No. This is the view of "the cult of efficiency" as described in paragraph 6, which the author says "is based on a fundamental misunderstanding of the importance of the "smart" state in the global, knowledge-based economy."

C: Yes. See paragraph 6: "The state is branded as wasteful, and market mechanisms are heralded as the efficient alternative. This argument, we shall see, is based on a fundamental misunderstanding of the importance of the "smart" state in the global, knowledge-based economy." The author believes the state is still relevant.

D: No. The author defends the value of the state in paragraph 6. While the passage doesn't indicate that the government is as efficient as the market (the author rejects efficiency as a valid stand-alone standard of judgment), neither does the author indicate that it is less efficient.

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