Reading skills among high school students in Gotham have been steadily declining, which can only be the result of overcrowding in the schools.
Which of the following, if true, most seriously weakens the argument expressed above?
d) Students' reading skills have not declined in other cities where the high schools are just as crowded as those of Gotham.
Hi all,
This is my first post in this thread. I took GMAT Prep a few days ago a while reviewing the questions got stumped by two CR ques. I am posting them as below. Pls provie the answer and explain the solution
A)Environmentalist: Snowmobiles in the park of north Milville create unacceptable levels of air pollution and should be banned.
Milville Business Spokesperson: Snowmobiling brings many out-of-towners to Milville in the winter months, to the great direct financial benefit of many local residents. In addition, the money that the town collects in fees for recreational use of park indirectly benefits all Milville residesnts. So, it is basic economics for us to put up with pollution.
Which of the following, if true, could best be used by the environmentalist to counter the business spokesperson's argument?B)
- A great many cross-country skiers are now kept from visiting Milville by the noise and pollution that snowmobiles generate.
- Not all of the people who go snowmobiling in the vicinity of Millville are from out of town.
- Snowmobiles, because they run on two cycle engines, emit greater amount of hydrocarbons an particulate matter than most cars do
- Industrial pollution in Milville has been significantly reduced in the past few years without any adverse effect on the towns economy
- Many Milville residents object to having to pay fees for recreational use of the park in the winter
Which of the following most logically completes the argument below?
Twenty percent of the stores in Morganville downtown shopping district will fail within five years because they will be competing directly with the Save Mart discount store newly opened in East Morganville. The downtown shopping district has lost business at this rate before and has completely rebounded. Confidence that it will completely rebound again from its losses it is now about to suffer is ill founded, however, because _____________Thanks
- the stores likely to be put out of business by direct competition from Save Mart are the downtown shopping districts anchor stores, on whose ability to draw shoppers many of the other downtown stores depend.
- the bus line that has long connected the downtown area of Morganville with East Morganville has a tradition of carrying shoppers who reside in East Morganville into downtown Morganville to shop.
- when the downtown shopping district has rebounded before, the business premises of the failed business were typically taken over by the business of same kind as had been there before
- Save Mart's business plan for the East Morganville store is based on earning low profits, if any, during the first five years of store's existence
- It is conceivable that the downtown shopping district could shrink substantially without collapsing altogether.
Kindly explain me the solution if i am wrong with my take
Onkar Choubey SaysKindly explain me the solution if i am wrong with my take
The OA for both is 1. So your response for the first one is correct but second one is wrong. The response of sausi007 is correct. I do not have the explanations but i find his explanation convincing.
First one, I would go with 1.
A great many cross-country skiers are now kept from visiting Milville by the noise and pollution that snowmobiles generate.
If the skiers start to come to the town due to less pollution, they will most probably balance the loss of money into the city, which was caused by closing the snowmobiles, if not all of it, then at least most of it !
For the Second One, I would go with 1
the stores likely to be put out of business by direct competition from Save Mart are the downtown shopping districts anchor stores, on whose ability to draw shoppers many of the other downtown stores depend.
We need to find the reason why the downtown district will not be able to rebound from this crisis.
If this statement (1) were to be true, then all the other shops will also get affected, since the anchor shops provide the smaller shops most of the consumers, so the whole district will get affected and will never be able to recover from this loss !
I came across one more CR (find an assumption). Pls try this also out
Researchers studying the spread of the Black Plague in sixteenth-century England claim that certain people survived the epidemic because they carried a genetic mutation, known as Delta-32, that is known to prevent the bacteria that causes the Plague from overtaking the immune system. To support this hypothesis, the researchers tested the direct descendants of the residents of an English town where an unusually large proportion of people survived the Plague. More than half of these descendants tested positive for the mutation Delta-32, a figure nearly three times higher than that found in other locations.
The researchers' hypothesis is based on which of the following assumptions?
A) Delta-32 does not prevent a carrier from contracting any disease other than the Plague.
B) The Plague is not similar to other diseases caused by bacteria.
C) Delta-32 did not exist in its current form until the sixteenth century.
D) No one who tested positive for Delta-32 has ever contracted a disease caused by bacteria.
E) The Plague does not cause genetic mutations such as Delta-32.
I
Researchers studying the spread of the Black Plague in sixteenth-century England claim that certain people survived the epidemic because they carried a genetic mutation, known as Delta-32, that is known to prevent the bacteria that causes the Plague from overtaking the immune system. To support this hypothesis, the researchers tested the direct descendants of the residents of an English town where an unusually large proportion of people survived the Plague. More than half of these descendants tested positive for the mutation Delta-32, a figure nearly three times higher than that found in other locations.
The researchers' hypothesis is based on which of the following assumptions?
A) Delta-32 does not prevent a carrier from contracting any disease other than the Plague.
B) The Plague is not similar to other diseases caused by bacteria.
C) Delta-32 did not exist in its current form until the sixteenth century.
D) No one who tested positive for Delta-32 has ever contracted a disease caused by bacteria.
E) The Plague does not cause genetic mutations such as Delta-32.
I will go with E.
The short explanation:
POE
A. Even if it would prevent other diseases, it does not matter !
B. Whole spectrum of Bacteria is not being talked about.
C. Opposite answer
D. Again talks about the whole Bacteria Spectrum
E. Correct answer
Long Explanation:
If we do not assume the same, lets see what happens (assumption negation):
"The plague CAUSES genetic mutations such as Delta-32"
So, this will mean that the people who were tested were descendants of the people who contracted the plague bacteria, and this, somehow has got passed on to their future generations. And this negative assumption tears apart the hypothesis provided by the scientists. That is why this should be the correct answer.
@Invalid: Good Question !
Researchers studying the spread of the Black Plague in sixteenth-century England claim that certain people survived the epidemic because they carried a genetic mutation, known as Delta-32, that is known to prevent the bacteria that causes the Plague from overtaking the immune system. To support this hypothesis, the researchers tested the direct descendants of the residents of an English town where an unusually large proportion of people survived the Plague. More than half of these descendants tested positive for the mutation Delta-32, a figure nearly three times higher than that found in other locations.
The researchers' hypothesis is based on which of the following assumptions?
A) Delta-32 does not prevent a carrier from contracting any disease other than the Plague.
B) The Plague is not similar to other diseases caused by bacteria.
C) Delta-32 did not exist in its current form until the sixteenth century.
D) No one who tested positive for Delta-32 has ever contracted a disease caused by bacteria.
E) The Plague does not cause genetic mutations such as Delta-32.
My take is E.
X = Delta-32, Y = Plague overtaking
Conclusion says:
If X then not Y
If (Y then X) is correct. This messes up the whole conclusion.
E correctly states, If Y then not X. (Plague does not cause Delta-32)
Long Explanation:
If we do not assume the same, lets see what happens (assumption negation):
"The plague CAUSES genetic mutations such as Delta-32"
So, this will mean that the people who were tested were descendants of the people who contracted the plague bacteria, and this, somehow has got passed on to their future generations. And this negative assumption tears apart the hypothesis provided by the scientists. That is why this should be the correct answer.
My take is E.
X = Delta-32, Y = Plague overtaking
Conclusion says:
If X then not Y
If (Y then X) is correct. This messes up the whole conclusion.
E correctly states, If Y then not X. (Plague does not cause Delta-32)
Both are correct (Answer is E) and the reasoning is also sound syntactically. I was initially stumped by the choice itself. The argument was like "The horse eats grass" is true assuming that "Grass does not eat the horse" which sounded crazy. I mean you cannot play with the semantics even if the syntactics are correct.
However the explanation is quite interesting:
"The researchers claim that Delta-32 prevented its carriers from contracting the Plague on the basis of its presence in descendants of Plague survivors. But it is theoretically possible that these descendants carry the mutation Delta-32 because the Plague mutated the genes of their ancestors. In order to claim that the mutation prevented the Plague, we must assume that the Plague did not cause the mutation Delta-32"
Pls try the following also:
In the United States, about $5,200 per person per year is spent on health care, while in Britain the amount is about half that. A recent study indicated that middle-aged white Americans have a significantly higher rate of diabetes and heart disease than do middle-aged white Britons. Even after eliminating from the study the lifestyle differences of diet, exercise, smoking, and drinking, the data showed that the Americans have poorer health than their British counterparts.
The statements above, if true, best support which of the following assertions?
A)Health care spending in the United States should be reduced by 50%.
B)More expensive health care causes a higher incidence of certain diseases.
C)The money spent on health care in the United States is not being used effectively.
D)The average health care spending for middle-aged white Americans is probably less than the average health care spending for Americans in general.
E)Something other than diet, exercise, smoking, and drinking must account for the difference in health for the two groups in the study
In the United States, about $5,200 per person per year is spent on health care, while in Britain the amount is about half that. A recent study indicated that middle-aged white Americans have a significantly higher rate of diabetes and heart disease than do middle-aged white Britons. Even after eliminating from the study the lifestyle differences of diet, exercise, smoking, and drinking, the data showed that the Americans have poorer health than their British counterparts.
The statements above, if true, best support which of the following assertions?
A)Health care spending in the United States should be reduced by 50%.
B)More expensive health care causes a higher incidence of certain diseases.
C)The money spent on health care in the United States is not being used effectively.
D)The average health care spending for middle-aged white Americans is probably less than the average health care spending for Americans in general.
E)Something other than diet, exercise, smoking, and drinking must account for the difference in health for the two groups in the study
My take is E
X = factors = (diet, exercise, smoking, and drinking)
Y = result = (poorer health)
The argument says:
X does not cause Y
Option E states the same thought:
Something other than X causes Y
My take is E
X = factors = (diet, exercise, smoking, and drinking)
Y = result = (poorer health)
The argument says:
X does not cause Y
Option E states the same thought:
Something other than X causes Y
The answer is correct. Could you throw some light on how did you eliminate other options?
Anyway your thinking process is simple and effective. i will be posting some more CR's
The answer is correct. Could you throw some light on how did you eliminate other options?
Anyway your thinking process is simple and effective. i will be posting some more CR's
A)Health care spending in the United States should be reduced by 50%.
Irrelevant to the passage, the author does not say anything about reduction in spending.
B)More expensive health care causes a higher incidence of certain diseases.
No mention of cause-effect of health-care diseases.
C)The money spent on health care in the United States is not being used effectively.
No mention. The author does not say anything about how money on health care is spent. It just compares the money spent on health care in two different coutries.
D)The average health care spending for middle-aged white Americans is probably less than the average health care spending for Americans in general.
Even though the passage mentions about middle-aged white americans/briton but it does not mention
anything about their spending.
E)Something other than diet, exercise, smoking, and drinking must account for the difference in health for the two groups in the study
Goes along the lines of the passage.
There are these questions where the passage contains text about a particular policy that Town X will be implementing.
In some such questions regarding weakening the argument, the correct answer is given as "Town Y implemented this proposal and it was found to be inefficient".
While in some other questions, such an answer is not the correct one. So, how does one know which is the correct one?
In short; when the question is about the success of the implementation of a proposal in one place; can the example of the proposal's implementation in some other place be valid to strengthen/weaken the argumen?
Hi all, pls help me out on this CR
Analyst: The pace of technological development brings a constant stream of new devices to the market, and many of them enjoy commercial success. But announcing new technology too soon after the introduction of a successful device can backfire. Once consumers hear about the new device, they may stop buying the one currently on sale. So, if a company wishes to announce the upcoming sale of a new device, it should wait until purchases of the old device have begun to decline.
Which of the following, if true, would best support the analyst's main assertion?
A) New technology often becomes less expensive after an initial surge in sales.
B)Media outlets, such as television programs and magazines, often report on the planned introduction of new devices while the sales of old devices are still strong.
C)Many consumers are unable to determine whether new technology is superior to current technology.
D)Surveys have shown that some consumers make only one or two technology purchases per year, whereas others make more frequent purchases.
E)Consumers tend to be loyal to technology companies whose products they enjoy using.
Thanks
Hi all, pls help me out on this CR
Analyst: The pace of technological development brings a constant stream of new devices to the market, and many of them enjoy commercial success. But announcing new technology too soon after the introduction of a successful device can backfire. Once consumers hear about the new device, they may stop buying the one currently on sale. So, if a company wishes to announce the upcoming sale of a new device, it should wait until purchases of the old device have begun to decline.
Which of the following, if true, would best support the analyst's main assertion?
A) New technology often becomes less expensive after an initial surge in sales.
B)Media outlets, such as television programs and magazines, often report on the planned introduction of new devices while the sales of old devices are still strong.
C)Many consumers are unable to determine whether new technology is superior to current technology.
D)Surveys have shown that some consumers make only one or two technology purchases per year, whereas others make more frequent purchases.
E)Consumers tend to be loyal to technology companies whose products they enjoy using.
Thanks
Analyst's assertion:
Announcement of a new product by a company should be made after the purchases of the old product have begun to decline.
While making this assertion the analyst assumes that there exists some way through which consumers can hear about the new planned product (while the sales of the old product are still going strong)
Option B says just that.
Analyst: The pace of technological development brings a constant stream of new devices to the market, and many of them enjoy commercial success. But announcing new technology too soon after the introduction of a successful device can backfire. Once consumers hear about the new device, they may stop buying the one currently on sale. So, if a company wishes to announce the upcoming sale of a new device, it should wait until purchases of the old device have begun to decline.
Which of the following, if true, would best support the analyst's main assertion?
A) New technology often becomes less expensive after an initial surge in sales.
B)Media outlets, such as television programs and magazines, often report on the planned introduction of new devices while the sales of old devices are still strong.
C)Many consumers are unable to determine whether new technology is superior to current technology.
D)Surveys have shown that some consumers make only one or two technology purchases per year, whereas others make more frequent purchases.
E)Consumers tend to be loyal to technology companies whose products they enjoy using.
Analyst's assertion:
Announcement of a new product by a company should be made after the purchases of the old product have begun to decline.
While making this assertion the analyst assumes that there exists some way through which consumers can hear about the new planned product (while the sales of the old product are still going strong)
Option B says just that.
The OA is B but I have confusion regarding E
Although loyalty is not mentioned in the passage i find it quite relevent.Could you pls explain the flaw in the logic:
Consider say (for the sake of argument) apple launches IPhone3 and its sales are increasing but in a short period of time Google launches andriod Froyo which is more advanced. Then Apple launches Iphone4 and Google launches Gingerbread an so on. So if the customer is not loyal to one brand then the assertion that a "company (eg Apple) should wait" does not hold good because it is the frequent advancements in technology only that is bringing the customers back.
The assertion would be true only if Apple loyal customers are not switching Google platforms hence E.
The OA is B but I have confusion regarding E
Although loyalty is not mentioned in the passage i find it quite relevent.Could you pls explain the flaw in the logic:
Consider say (for the sake of argument) apple launches IPhone3 and its sales are increasing but in a short period of time Google launches andriod Froyo which is more advanced. Then Apple launches Iphone4 and Google launches Gingerbread an so on. So if the customer is not loyal to one brand then the assertion that a "company (eg Apple) should wait" does not hold good because it is the frequent advancements in technology only that is bringing the customers back.
The assertion would be true only if Apple loyal customers are not switching Google platforms hence E.
My take is E. What is the source of this question ?
JoshMachines SaysMy take is E. What is the source of this question ?
Source is MGMAT Test Series. Below are the explanations
The conclusion is that a company should wait until purchases of an old device have begun to decline before announcing a new device. The basis for this claim is that consumers stop buying the old device. We are asked to strengthen the argument.
(A) The typical drop in the price of new technology does not influence whether a company should wait until sales of an old technology begin to decline before introducing a new one.
(B) CORRECT. This choice states that media outlets such as television and magazines often report on the planned introduction of new devices while sales of old devices are still strong. The argument requires that consumers "hear about the new device"; stories in the media provide a means for consumers to do so.
(C) If many consumers are unable to determine the superiority of new technology, then they might be less swayed to wait for a new, recently announced device than otherwise. As a result, this claim may be seen to weaken the analyst's assertion.
(D) The number of technology purchases per year does not directly relate to this argument. The argument is about waiting until the consumer demand declines before announcing a new technology. However frequently consumers typically purchase technology, some will be ready to buy the old device when news of the upcoming device gets out -- and according to the argument, this news will cause some of those consumers to wait.
(E) The passage makes no mention of whether the technologies belong to the same company or different companies.
The OA is B but I have confusion regarding E
Although loyalty is not mentioned in the passage i find it quite relevent.Could you pls explain the flaw in the logic:
Consider say (for the sake of argument) apple launches IPhone3 and its sales are increasing but in a short period of time Google launches andriod Froyo which is more advanced. Then Apple launches Iphone4 and Google launches Gingerbread an so on. So if the customer is not loyal to one brand then the assertion that a "company (eg Apple) should wait" does not hold good because it is the frequent advancements in technology only that is bringing the customers back.
The assertion would be true only if Apple loyal customers are not switching Google platforms hence E.
Your logic seems fine to me.
However, I am just left wondering whether the stimulus pertains to only one company or technology across multiple companies... What do you think about that ??? if it's the latter, then i will call it a bad q. in the context of the GMAT..
Cheers!
Randall: Many of the productions of my plays by amateur theater groups are poorly done, and such interpretations do not provide a true measure of my skills as a dramatist. Which one of the following can be properly inferred from Randalls statement?
(A) Some amateur theater groups productions of Randalls plays provide a true measure of his skills as a dramatist.
(B) All amateur theater group productions of Randalls plays that are not poorly done provide a true measure of his skills as a dramatist.
(C) All of the productions of Randalls plays by amateur theater groups that do not provide a true measure of his skills as a dramatist are poorly done.
(D) If a production of a dramatists play is well done, then it provides a true measure of his or her skills as a dramatist.
(E) At least some amateur theatrical groups productions of Randalls plays fail to provide a true measure of his skills as a dramatist.
Take in bolds!!
Randall: Many of the productions of my plays by amateur theater groups are poorly done, and such interpretations do not provide a true measure of my skills as a dramatist. Which one of the following can be properly inferred from Randalls statement?
(A) Some amateur theater groups productions of Randalls plays provide a true measure of his skills as a dramatist.
(B) All amateur theater group productions of Randalls plays that are not poorly done provide a true measure of his skills as a dramatist.
(C) All of the productions of Randalls plays by amateur theater groups that do not provide a true measure of his skills as a dramatist are poorly done.
(D) If a production of a dramatists play is well done, then it provides a true measure of his or her skills as a dramatist.
(E) At least some amateur theatrical groups productions of Randalls plays fail to provide a true measure of his skills as a dramatist.
(E) At least some amateur theatrical groups productions of Randalls plays fail to provide a true measure of his skills as a dramatist.
Randall: Many of the productions of my plays by amateur theater groups are poorly done, and such interpretations do not provide a true measure of my skills as a dramatist. Which one of the following can be properly inferred from Randalls statement?
(A) Some amateur theater groups productions of Randalls plays provide a true measure of his skills as a dramatist.
(B) All amateur theater group productions of Randalls plays that are not poorly done provide a true measure of his skills as a dramatist.
(C) All of the productions of Randalls plays by amateur theater groups that do not provide a true measure of his skills as a dramatist are poorly done.
(D) If a production of a dramatists play is well done, then it provides a true measure of his or her skills as a dramatist.
(E) At least some amateur theatrical groups productions of Randalls plays fail to provide a true measure of his skills as a dramatist.
Since this is an inference question, we do not need to breakdown the stimulus in any way. We need to accept everything that Randall tells as true, and we need to look for an answer choice that, therefore, also must be true.
Choice (A) certainly could be true, but it does not need to be, so we can eliminate it. Based on Randalls statement it is entirely possible that no amateur theater productions reflect his skills as a dramatist.
Choice (B) is an extreme answer choice. We know this because of the presence of the word all. It is possible that some well-done productions do not reflect Randalls skill for some other reason, for example low production values.
Choice (C) is also extreme. It is possible that a well-done production does not reflect Randalls skill.
Choice (D) is too broad. We do not know anything about productions other than Randalls.
Finally, choice (E) must be true. Many amateur productions are poorly done and poorly done productions do not reflect Randalls skills as a dramatist. Therefore, some such productions must not reflect Randalls skills. Thus, (E) is the correct answer.
Randall: Many of the productions of my plays by amateur theater groups are poorly done, and such interpretations do not provide a true measure of my skills as a dramatist. Which one of the following can be properly inferred from Randalls statement?
(A) Some amateur theater groups productions of Randalls plays provide a true measure of his skills as a dramatist.
check the part i marked in bold it says many of the palys suppose there are 100 plays then 90 plays fail to provide true measure then 10 plays provide true measure of dramatist's skills.if thats not the case then how can dramatist know his true measure of his skills.
OA is in bold!!
I dont think option A) is correct.
Many productions of author's plays by amateur theater groups do not provide a true measure of the author's skills as a dramatist.
This does not mean that other plays produced by amateur theater groups do provide so. Maybe the ones that do provide are not 'amateur' theater groups.
But we can be certain by what author says, that some of the amateur theatre groups certainly fall short in providing the true measure.
@Cognizant: Do provide the source of the question, if you have.