MCAT Critical Analysis and Reasoning Skills Question 65: Answer and Explanation

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Test Information

Question: 65

6. Suppose a study were to find evidence of widespread discrimination in employers' hiring practices during the Depression. Specifically, when less qualified male candidates and more qualified female candidates were in direct competition for jobs, the males were very frequently hired. Furthermore, the government took little to no action to rectify these supposed injustices. How would the author most likely respond?

  • A. This is consistent with public and government attitudes during the Depression: men's employment was seen as more important than women's.
  • B. Since prejudices are first shaped by family life, a radical change toward more equitable gender roles in marriage was necessary before society could reject gender discrimination in the workplace.
  • C. Public and institutional viewpoints such as these, which prevented women from providing supplemental or even primary support for their families, were unfair and regrettable.
  • D. Government's lack of response is surprising; the Economy Act of 1932 suggested government was interested in employment demographics at the time.

Correct Answer: A

Explanation:

A This is a New Information question.

Note: Questions that give new information are often most relevant to a specific part of the passage. This one corresponds most closely to paragraph 4; the credited answer will reflect that.

A: Yes. See paragraph 4: "But discriminatory policies and public hostility [emphasis added] weakened that potential. Although many families depended on the earnings of both spouses, federal policies supported unemployed male breadwinners but discouraged married women from seeking jobs."

B: No. This answer choice puts forward a general theory-changes to the family are required for changes to the workplace-while the author suggests the opposite. That is, that government action in the workplace limited the possibility of change within the family (see paragraph 5).

C: No. This choice suggests the author's general approach is to criticize or lament obstacles to women's progress. It would be more accurate to say the author is explaining why more equitable gender roles did not take hold at the time. Secondly, the passage suggests that women were able to provide financial support for their families at the time, at least to some extent (paragraph 4); "prevented" is too strong to be supported by the passage.

D: No. This choice uses familiar language but is inconsistent with the passage. Government would not be expected to stop such discrimination; its inaction would not be a surprise. In fact, government institutionalized discrimination in the Economy Act of 1932 (paragraph 4).

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