Q19

[tzyc]

B says "issues" (meaning more than one),
but I only found one...
"should countries act unilaterally to curb emmissions?"
And his answer is no, they should cooperate (even though it is hard).
What other ones does the author intend to answer?
I thought they could be...
"why should governments consider a carbon tax when they could control emissions by...in nuclear power?" (3~)-but I think this is not something they should consider before deciding whether to impose a tax...
or
"how high such a tax should be or what its economic and environmental implications would be"-although the author says it's unclear (so not sure it is something the author intended to answer...)

By the way, is this the author's primary purpose to write this passage?
Through the entire passage, I was not sure what his main point was and did not like any of the answer choices at first...

Thank you

[rinagoldfield]

Hey TZ,

Thanks for your post. Great question. This passage doesn’t take a standard form, so I understand your confusion about the author’s main purpose.

The author begins the passage with a reason why imposing a carbon tax might be GOOD: such a tax would "provide incentives for industry to achieve emission reductions" (lines 8-9).

The author proceeds to spend the rest of the passage grappling with reasons why imposing a carbon tax might be BAD. For example, the author discusses a tax’s effect on economic growth, the risk that a country imposing a carbon tax would bear the burden of the tax’s costs while offering global benefits, and the possibility that any reduction in emissions caused by a carbon tax would be diminished by "free rider" countries (line 29, 47-51, 55-57).

All of these possible risks can be rephrased as "issues" a country should consider before imposing a carbon tax. (B) is supported.

The author’s main purpose is, in other words, to discuss this question: what are the potential costs and benefits of a carbon tax to a country?

(A) is narrow.
(C) is narrow"”that author only discusses these assumptions in the second of the four paragraphs.
(D) is too broad. The passage is about carbon taxes!
(E) is unsupported. The passage concerns the costs and benefits of carbon taxes, not the how to increase the effectiveness of such a tax.

[einuoa]

Hey TZ,

Thanks for your post. Great question. This passage doesn’t take a standard form, so I understand your confusion about the author’s main purpose.

The author begins the passage with a reason why imposing a carbon tax might be GOOD: such a tax would "provide incentives for industry to achieve emission reductions" (lines 8-9).

The author proceeds to spend the rest of the passage grappling with reasons why imposing a carbon tax might be BAD. For example, the author discusses a tax’s effect on economic growth, the risk that a country imposing a carbon tax would bear the burden of the tax’s costs while offering global benefits, and the possibility that any reduction in emissions caused by a carbon tax would be diminished by "free rider" countries (line 29, 47-51, 55-57).

All of these possible risks can be rephrased as "issues" a country should consider before imposing a carbon tax. (B) is supported.

The author’s main purpose is, in other words, to discuss this question: what are the potential costs and benefits of a carbon tax to a country?

(A) is narrow.
(C) is narrow"”that author only discusses these assumptions in the second of the four paragraphs.
(D) is too broad. The passage is about carbon taxes!
(E) is unsupported. The passage concerns the costs and benefits of carbon taxes, not the how to increase the effectiveness of such a tax.

I have a question about answer D. It asks How can the effects be decreased? Wouldn't the answer to that question be this passage? It can be decreased via the carbon tax. Is this answer wrong because it focuses only on the carbon tax and doesn't give other ways that industrial pollution can be decreased? Does it need to mention other methods if it chooses to focus on carbon tax?

I understand why B is right but am not sure why D is wrong.

[ohthatpatrick]

Yeah, I think you nailed it.

In order for (D) to be right, it would need to follow-up with other possible methods.

Otherwise, you wouldn't need a whole passage to answer that question. You answered it in two words.

How can the effects of pollution be decreased? Carbon tax.

Okay, see you later.

Whereas consider posing the question asked in (B):

What issues should a country's govt. consider before implementing the carbon tax?

- can the same end be accomplished by some combination of efficiency standards / legislation / investment in alternatives
- will the tax encourage businesses to switch to less polluting fuels
- how high should the tax be set
- will past responses to a price rise will be replicated
- what effect will this have on economic growth
- will other countries all impose a tax
- if not, is it still worth acting unilaterally?

If you're doing a Big Picture question (such as Main Point or Primary Concern) and you have a clear main character in terms of topic ... in this case "carbon tax" was the main character of this passage ... you should definitely see that in the correct answer. Otherwise, you're probably looking at a trap answer that is too narrow or too broad.

Hope this helps.

[einuoa]

Yeah, I think you nailed it.

In order for (D) to be right, it would need to follow-up with other possible methods.

Otherwise, you wouldn't need a whole passage to answer that question. You answered it in two words.

How can the effects of pollution be decreased? Carbon tax.

Okay, see you later.

Whereas consider posing the question asked in (B):

What issues should a country's govt. consider before implementing the carbon tax?

- can the same end be accomplished by some combination of efficiency standards / legislation / investment in alternatives
- will the tax encourage businesses to switch to less polluting fuels
- how high should the tax be set
- will past responses to a price rise will be replicated
- what effect will this have on economic growth
- will other countries all impose a tax
- if not, is it still worth acting unilaterally?

If you're doing a Big Picture question (such as Main Point or Primary Concern) and you have a clear main character in terms of topic ... in this case "carbon tax" was the main character of this passage ... you should definitely see that in the correct answer. Otherwise, you're probably looking at a trap answer that is too narrow or too broad.

Hope this helps.

Thank you! Helps a ton.

[mimimimi]

I have a question about C. I do not think the author actually discussed any assumptions that underlie a country's decision to impose a carbon tax. I see that there are assumptions underlying the calculation of such tax numbers in lines 27-24. But I do not think these are assumptions for their decision to impose such tax? Where are the assumptions for such decisions? The first paragraph?