Question 132·Hard·Inferences
Adopted by several major consumer-goods manufacturers, the ForestMark label is intended to assure buyers that the wood fibers used in packaging originate from sustainably managed forests. The label's standards, however, permit companies to employ internal auditors rather than independent inspectors to verify compliance with those standards. Some environmental groups therefore worry that the ForestMark initiative could inadvertently ______
Which choice most logically completes the text?
For “complete the text” inference questions, first identify the cause/evidence and the result/claim around words like “therefore,” “thus,” or “because.” Note the tone (positive/negative) and whether the outcome is intended or unintended from cues like “worry,” “concern,” or “inadvertently.” Then, before looking at the choices in detail, predict in general terms what kind of effect should logically follow. Finally, eliminate options that (1) introduce unrelated topics, (2) don’t match the tone or intent (too positive when a worry is expressed), or (3) don’t directly stem from the given cause. This keeps you from being distracted by answers that sound good but don’t logically fit the passage.
Hints
Locate the cause of the worry
Look closely at what changes with the ForestMark standards: what are companies now allowed to do instead of using independent inspectors?
Use the key words to identify the type of answer needed
Focus on the words “worry” and “inadvertently.” Should the completed sentence describe a positive or negative result? And should that result be intended or unintended?
Connect back to the label’s original purpose
The label is meant to assure buyers about sustainability. What kind of problem, caused by companies auditing themselves, would work against that purpose?
Eliminate answers that don’t match the groups’ concerns
Ask which choices describe something environmental groups would actually be upset about, and that logically follows from letting companies verify their own compliance.
Step-by-step Explanation
Understand the setup and goal of ForestMark
The first sentence explains that the ForestMark label is intended to reassure buyers that wood fibers come from sustainably managed forests. So the goal is to build consumer trust in sustainability claims.
Notice the potential problem introduced
The next sentence says the standards allow companies to use internal auditors instead of independent inspectors to verify compliance. This suggests a possible conflict of interest: companies are checking themselves instead of being checked by a neutral party.
Pay attention to the key signal words: “therefore” and “worry” and “inadvertently”
“Therefore” shows the worry is a direct result of allowing internal auditors. “Worry” and “inadvertently” tell you the missing phrase should describe an unintended negative consequence that follows logically from companies being allowed to audit themselves.
Match the consequence to the concern about self-auditing
If companies audit themselves, they might falsely label unsustainable timber as sustainable. That would harm consumer trust in the label, the opposite of the label’s goal. The only choice that describes this specific, unintended, negative outcome—both about mislabeling and damaging consumer confidence—is: undermine consumer confidence by allowing corporations to certify noncompliant timber as sustainable.