The sentence “If serfs … estate” (Highlighted… | GMAT Sprint

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RC · Reading Comprehension

705-805

Short Passage - Social Science

Reading Passage

According to the conventional view, serfdom in nineteenth-century Russia inhibited economic growth. In this view Russian peasants’ status as serfs kept them poor through burdensome taxes in cash, in labor, and in-kind; through restrictions on mobility; and through various forms of coercion. Melton, however, argues that serfdom was perfectly compatible with economic growth, because many Russian serfs were able to get around landlords’ rules and regulations. If serfs could pay for passports, they were usually granted permission to leave the estate. If they could pay the fine, they could establish a separate household; and if they had the resources, they could hire laborers to cultivate the communal lands, while they themselves engaged in trade or worked as migrant laborers in cities.

The sentence “If serfs … estate” (Highlighted) has which of the following functions in the passage?

I. It provides support for an argument presented in the preceding sentence.
II. It provides evidence that helps undermine a view introduced in the first sentence.
III. It raises a question that the succeeding sentence will resolve.

Answer Choices

Correct answer marked below

I only

I and II only

Correct

I and III only

II and III only

I, II, and III

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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 705-805 level, accuracy and speed both matter.

Common trap

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