During the Bourbon Restoration in France (1814–1830), the right to vote required in part that a person paid at least...
GMAT Information and Ideas : (Ideas) Questions
During the Bourbon Restoration in France (1814–1830), the right to vote required in part that a person paid at least 300 francs in direct taxes to the government. The four most common taxes (the quatre vieilles) were levied on real estate (both land and buildings); the doors and windows in taxpayer homes; the rental values of homes; and the businesses of artisans and merchants. (Foreign investments were either exempt from taxation or taxed lightly.) Although relatively few people paid the tax on real estate, it was the main means of voter qualification and accounted for over two-thirds of government receipts during this period, suggesting that during the Bourbon Restoration ______
Which choice most logically completes the text?
those people who had the right to vote most likely had substantial holdings of French real estate.
the voting habits of French artisans and merchants were effective in reducing tax burdens on businesses.
the number of doors and windows in French residences was kept to a minimum but increased after 1830.
French people with significant foreign investments were unlikely to have the right to vote.
Step 1: Decode and Map the Passage
Create Passage Analysis Table
| Text from Passage | Analysis |
|---|---|
| "During the Bourbon Restoration in France (1814–1830), the right to vote required in part that a person paid at least 300 francs in direct taxes to the government." |
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| "The four most common taxes (the quatre vieilles) were levied on real estate (both land and buildings); the doors and windows in taxpayer homes; the rental values of homes; and the businesses of artisans and merchants." |
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| "(Foreign investments were either exempt from taxation or taxed lightly.)" |
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| "Although relatively few people paid the tax on real estate, it was the main means of voter qualification and accounted for over two-thirds of government receipts during this period," |
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Provide Passage Architecture & Core Elements
Main Point: During the Bourbon Restoration, voting was tied to tax payments, with real estate taxes being particularly important for both voter qualification and government revenue despite being paid by relatively few people.
Argument Flow: The passage establishes voting requirements based on tax payments, details the specific taxes involved, then presents a key contradiction about real estate taxes—few people paid them, yet they were crucial for voting rights and government revenue. This sets up a logical inference about who actually had voting rights.
Step 2: Interpret the Question Precisely
This is a fill-in-the-blank question asking us to choose the best logical connector. The answer must create the right relationship between what comes before and after the blank.
Step 3: Prethink the Answer
- The passage presents a clear logical puzzle: real estate tax was paid by "relatively few people," yet it was both "the main means of voter qualification" AND "accounted for over two-thirds of government receipts"
- The key insight is that if few people paid real estate tax, but this tax was the main way to qualify for voting AND generated most government revenue, then those few people who did pay it must have had substantial real estate holdings and been the primary voting population
those people who had the right to vote most likely had substantial holdings of French real estate.
✓ Correct
- Directly addresses the logical puzzle in the passage
- Explains how few real estate taxpayers could generate \(\frac{2}{3}\) of government receipts—they had "substantial holdings"
- Connects voting rights to significant property ownership, which makes perfect sense given the tax-based qualification system
the voting habits of French artisans and merchants were effective in reducing tax burdens on businesses.
✗ Incorrect
- Focuses on voting habits affecting tax policy, which isn't supported by the passage
- The passage doesn't discuss how voting influenced tax burdens
- Misses the key inference about who had voting rights based on the real estate tax evidence
the number of doors and windows in French residences was kept to a minimum but increased after 1830.
✗ Incorrect
- Makes unsupported claims about architectural choices and post-1830 changes
- The passage is about voting rights and taxes, not about building styles
- Creates connections that don't exist in the text
French people with significant foreign investments were unlikely to have the right to vote.
✗ Incorrect
- Incorrectly reverses the relationship—it's not that most voters paid real estate tax
- The passage states only one-twelfth paid the real estate tax at all
- Confuses the 300 francs requirement (for voting) with real estate tax payment