In presenting the argument, the author does a… | GMAT Sprint

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RC · Reading Comprehension

505-555

Short Passage - Social Science

Reading Passage

The common belief of some linguists that each language is a perfect vehicle for the thoughts of the nation speaking it is in some ways the exact counterpart of the conviction of the Manchester school of economics that supply and demand will regulate everything for the best. Just as economists were blind to the numerous cases in which the law of supply and demand left actual wants unsatisfied, so also many linguists are deaf to those instances in which the very nature of a language calls forth misunderstandings in everyday conversation, and in which, consequently, a word has to be modified or defined in order to present the idea intended by the speaker: “He took his stick—no, not John’s, but his own.” No language is perfect, and if we admit this truth, we must also admit that it is not unreasonable to investigate the relative merits of different languages or of different details in languages.

In presenting the argument, the author does all of the following EXCEPT:

Answer Choices

Correct answer marked below

give an example

draw a conclusion

make a generalization

make a comparison

present a paradox

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What this question tests

What it tests

Your ability to understand a passage, its structure, and what the author is really saying. At the 505-555 level, accuracy and speed both matter.

Common trap

Answering from memory or outside knowledge instead of strictly from the passage.