PrepTest 141, Section 2, 23. A developing country can substantially…

How will the right answer fit in terms of support and conclusion?

Only the right answer will be a conclusion supported by the passage.

Highlight the main conclusion in the passage, if there is one:

This passage doesn’t have a conclusion. The right answer will be the conclusion.

[BACKGROUND/SUPPORT]. But [SUPPORT]. Moreover [SUPPORT].

You might not know whether each statement is background or support until you see the answer choices, but it’s safe to assume the argument has started once you see “But…”

Map the wording of the answers to the wording of the passage:

(A) Once a developing country has at least one business in a modern industry…

Stop. This is changing the subject. The passage only has support for when “modern industries have not yet been pursued there”. We can’t make any conclusion about what happens after industry has been pursued.

(B) …greater competition within modern industries than within traditional industries.

Traditional industries never got brought into the argument, so there’s definitely no way we can make a comparison between them and modern industries.

(C) A developing country can increase…modern industries that have not yet been pursued there.

This starts by echoing the first statement in the passage, which you love. And it ends by repeating the exact same phrase the passage uses. And in the middle, the “added incentive” thing maps to the passage saying there’s currently “little incentive”.

(D) …will not experience economic growth unless…

The passage only talks about one thing that will lead to economic growth. This answer says that’s the only thing that will cause growth, but there’s no support for that just because no other options are mentioned. Way too strong.

(E) …as long as the country has at least one other business in that industry

Like (A), we have no support for a conclusion about what happens once there’s “at least one other business” in an industry.

(C) is the correct answer.

Common pattern/s in this question: This question really shows how valuable mapping the answers to the passage is when the right answer is a conclusion supported by the passage. Check the wording of the document carefully, don’t think harder than you have to, and everything will be alright. A mantra for a future lawyer if there ever was one.