SAT OwlQuestion bank / Text Structure and Purpose
Economists have traditionally treated a country's gross domestic product, or GDP, as the principal measure of its prosperity. Yet GDP counts only goods and services that are bought and sold, so it leaves out unpaid work such as caring for children or elderly relatives. Economist Nadia Farouk estimates that if such work were valued at the wages paid to professional caregivers, it would equal roughly a fifth of GDP in several countries she studied. Farouk does not propose abandoning GDP; she argues instead that it should be supplemented by measures that capture this hidden labor.
Which choice best describes the overall structure of the text?
It describes a new economic measure, explains how it was developed, and argues that it should replace GDP.
It presents two competing definitions of prosperity and explains why economists have rejected both.
It identifies a limitation of a widely used measure, estimates the size of what that measure leaves out, and presents a researcher's proposal for addressing the limitation.
It traces the history of GDP and describes how the measure has changed over time.
Show answer and explanation
Answer: C
The text first notes that GDP omits unpaid work, then gives Farouk's estimate of that work's value, and ends with her proposal to supplement GDP. Choice C follows this order.
Choice A is tempting, but the text says Farouk "does not propose abandoning GDP," so she does not argue for replacing it.
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