Companies that offer employer sponsored insurance (ESI) pay a portion of employees health care costs. In the manufacturing sector last year, companies that offered ESI had worker absentee rates 22% lower, on average, than those at companies that did not offer ESI.
If, on the basis of the evidence above, it is argued that ESI decreases worker absenteeism, which of the following, if true, would most seriously weaken that argument?
D) Many firms in the manufacturing sector have improved workplace safety and decreased the occurrence of on-the-job injuries in the last five years, and most of these companies introduced ESI at the same time.
I' go with D but i m really confused with the question..i mean when we say weakening of the statement which things should be skept in mind..i mean any clue..i didnt choose because i found it appropraite but because others were not approriate according to me.kindly expain.
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Love me or Leave me
Companies that offer employer sponsored insurance (ESI) pay a portion of employees health care costs. In the manufacturing sector last year, companies that offered ESI had worker absentee rates 22% lower, on average, than those at companies that did not offer ESI.
If, on the basis of the evidence above, it is argued that ESI decreases worker absenteeism, which of the following, if true, would most seriously weaken that argument?
D) Many firms in the manufacturing sector have improved workplace safety and decreased the occurrence of on-the-job injuries in the last five years, and most of these companies introduced ESI at the same time.
see this is classical example in the stem question arguement is due to ESI number of absentees decreased but here in option D they showed other reasoning which resulted in decrease of absentees which shows if ESI even wouldnt have been introduced still number of absentees would have decreased.in other words its just redundancy in introduction of ESI!
there is no ambiguity in OA its 100% correct!
CR questions of these kind have a easy way to go about them. The existing argument can easily be weakened if we introduce it as a case of half-truth.
ESI was responsible, but it was not the only factor.
IN CR, also remember that sweeping options are generally never the answer.
Companies that offer "employer sponsored insurance" (ESI) pay a portion of employees' health care costs. In the manufacturing sector last year, companies that offered ESI had worker absentee rates 22% lower, on average, than those at companies that did not offer ESI.
If, on the basis of the evidence above, it is argued that ESI decreases worker absenteeism, which of the following, if true, would most seriously weaken that argument?
D) Many firms in the manufacturing sector have improved workplace safety and decreased the occurrence of on-the-job injuries in the last five years, and most of these companies introduced ESI at the same time.
see this is classical example in the stem question arguement is due to ESI number of absentees decreased but here in option D they showed other reasoning which resulted in decrease of absentees which shows if ESI even wouldnt have been introduced still number of absentees would have decreased.in other words its just redundancy in introduction of ESI!
there is no ambiguity in OA its 100% correct!
Thatts fine bro but you see they dont put any emphasis on absenteesm of an employee...they just say the injury case and latter say ESI was introduced...so you mean to say when there is no relation to the given statement..i mean nothing is directly specified we take that as an answer..right???
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Love me or Leave me
Scientists have discovered a new species of butterfly that lives only in a small region of Central America and is active only at night. During the day, it rests in treetops, where its green color matches the foliage perfectly. Therefore, the scientists must have discovered the butterfly at night.
The argument depends on which of the following assumptions?
1. The newly discovered butterfly is not related to any other species of butterfly.
2. There is no way for the scientists to detect the butterfly during the day.
3. No other butterfly species lives in this region of Central America.
4. The foliage in the butterfly's habitat is completely green.
5. The butterfly cannot survive in areas outside of Central America.
Take in bolds
Good question.
OA for previous Q is B
here is next set:
Critic: Since returning to her home country after spending years abroad, the work of novelist Karen Bateman has lost its exotic edge and vibrant characters. Her books now deal with issues disappointingly familiar to her readership in this country. One almost wishes she would leave again in order to recapture the spark of her earlier work.
what can we infer from the passage based on crtic's point of view?
A. The critic's opinion is shared by most of Bateman's readers
B. Bateman's novels were at least partly autobiographically inspired
C. Bateman's home country is less exotic in its population and customs
D. There is little literary value in Bateman's work set in her own country
E. All of Bateman's earlier novels were set in foreign and exotic countries
Take in bold
Companies that offer employer sponsored insurance (ESI) pay a portion of employees health care costs. In the manufacturing sector last year, companies that offered ESI had worker absentee rates 22% lower, on average, than those at companies that did not offer ESI.
If, on the basis of the evidence above, it is argued that ESI decreases worker absenteeism, which of the following, if true, would most seriously weaken that argument?
A) Results similar to those cited for the manufacturing sector have been found in other sectors of the economy where ESI is offered.
B) At companies that offer ESI, employees have access to preventative health care such as regular check-ups, routine laboratory tests, and nutrition counseling.
C) Because initiating an ESI plan requires a lot of paperwork for the company, employees, and the insurance provider, doing so is complex and time-consuming.
D) Many firms in the manufacturing sector have improved workplace safety and decreased the occurrence of on-the-job injuries in the last five years, and most of these companies introduced ESI at the same time.
E) In manufacturing firms where ESI is offered, the average productivity is 2% higher than it is in those firms where workers are not covered by an ESI plan.
take in bold
Professor Jones has claimed that chemical compound chlorocetin contained in industrial waste and previously considered harmless is in fact very dangerous. Jones has examined several areas with high concentration of chlorocetin and found that certain vital biological processes, such as photosynthesis, are slower in these areas than is usual for the inspected species. The professor says that although he failed to establish an exact mechanism by which chlorocetin hampers photosynthesis, his findings are sufficient to state that chlorocetin is a dangerous chemical affecting natural world. This conclusion, however, is unwarranted because all that professor Jones actually established is a mere correlation between the level of chlorocetin and the speed of photosynthesis - correlation that might not reflect any causal relationship between the factors.
The highlighted portions of the text perform which of the following functions in the argument?
A: the first is the position the author disagrees with while the second is the author's own position
B: the first contains the argument the author critiques while the second identifies a logical flaw in this argument
C: the first is an evidence in the argument the author disputes while the second is a statement supporting the author's own position
D: the first describes a phenomenon which weighs against the author's opinion while the second reasons in favour of this opinion
E: the first contains information that, if true, could overthrow the author's argument while the second discredits this information
take in bold
OA for previous Q is B
here is next set:
Critic: Since returning to her home country after spending years abroad, the work of novelist Karen Bateman has lost its exotic edge and vibrant characters. Her books now deal with issues disappointingly familiar to her readership in this country. One almost wishes she would leave again in order to recapture the spark of her earlier work.
what can we infer from the passage based on crtic's point of view?
D. There is little literary value in Bateman's work set in her own country
OA is in bold!!
explanation please :)
Hi,
Need help with these..will post OA's later
Questions are based on the following.
The earths resources are being depleted much too fast. To correct this, the United States must keep its resource consumption at present levels for many years to come.
The argument above depends on which of the following assumptions?
(A) Per capita resource consumption in the United States is at an all-time high.
(B) The United States wastes resources.
(C) The United States uses more resources than any other country.
(D) The United States imports most of the resources it uses.
(E) Curbing U.S. resource consumption will significantly retard world resource depletion.
Which of the following, if true, would most strengthen the argument above?
(A) New resource deposits are constantly being discovered.
(B) The United States consumes one-third of all resources used in the world.
(C) Other countries need economic development more than the United States does.
(D) Other countries have agreed to hold their resource consumption at present levels.
(E) The United States has been conserving resources for several years.
1. A
2. B is the answer
In January there was a large drop in the number of new houses sold, because interest rates for mortgages were falling and many consumers were waiting to see how low the rates would go. This large sales drop was accompanied by a sharp rise in the average price of new houses sold.
Which of the following, if true, best explains the sharp rise in the average price of new houses?
(A) Sales of higher-priced houses were unaffected by the sales drop because their purchasers have fewer constraints limiting the total amount they pay.
Take bolded!
Professor Jones has claimed that chemical compound chlorocetin contained in industrial waste and previously considered harmless is in fact very dangerous. Jones has examined several areas with high concentration of chlorocetin and found that certain vital biological processes, such as photosynthesis, are slower in these areas than is usual for the inspected species. The professor says that although he failed to establish an exact mechanism by which chlorocetin hampers photosynthesis, his findings are sufficient to state that chlorocetin is a dangerous chemical affecting natural world. This conclusion, however, is unwarranted because all that professor Jones actually established is a mere correlation between the level of chlorocetin and the speed of photosynthesis - correlation that might not reflect any causal relationship between the factors.
The highlighted portions of the text perform which of the following functions in the argument?
A: the first is the position the author disagrees with while the second is the author's own position
B: the first contains the argument the author critiques while the second identifies a logical flaw in this argument
C: the first is an evidence in the argument the author disputes while the second is a statement supporting the author's own position
D: the first describes a phenomenon which weighs against the author's opinion while the second reasons in favour of this opinion
E: the first contains information that, if true, could overthrow the author's argument while the second discredits this information
Please provide the OA
Many local town governments in New England still practice direct democracy where the population of the town votes to resolve issues. Critics of these town councils argue that well-funded special interest groups are able to influence these large open referenda.
Which of the following, if true, most strengthen the critics' argument?
.
(E1) Direct democracies tend to make decisions on the passions of local populace rather than long term guided decisions
(.
my take is in bold.
@above:
I'll go with C.
A and B appear irrelevant to me, while D and E look at only one aspect each - environment and safety respectively.
Reducing speed limits neither saves lives nor protects the environment. This is
because the more slowly a car is driven, the more time it spends on the road spewing exhaust into the air and running the risk of colliding with other vehicles.
The arguments reasoning is flawed because the argument
(A) neglects the fact that some motorists completely ignore speed limits.
(B) Ignore the possibility of benefits from lowering speed limits other than environmental and safety benefits.
(C) Fails to consider that if speed limits are reduced, increased driving times will increase the number of cars on the road at any given time.
(D) Presumes, without providing justification, that total emissions for a given automobile trip are determined primarily by the amount of time the trip takes
(E) Presumes, without providing justification, that drivers run a significant risk of collision only if they spend a lot of time on the road.
my answer:(D) Presumes, without providing justification, that total emissions for a given automobile trip are determined primarily by the amount of time the trip takes
interesting perspective though..:)
Politician: My opponent says our zoning laws too strongly promote suburban single-family dwellings and should be changed to encourage other forms of housing like apartment buildings. Yet he lives in a house in the country. His lifestyle contradicts his own argument, which should therefore not be taken seriously.
The politicians reasoning is most vulnerable to criticism on the ground that
My take:
(D) Its discussion of the opponents lifestyle is irrelevant to the merits of the opponents argument
According to a new sociological theory, artists and musicians excel in their chosen field of endeavor only if they are naturally gifted or extremely diligent about practicing. In order to have time to be materially successful in one's professional life, the author of the theory claims, one must not undertake a creative pursuit unless one is naturally gifted at it. This injunction makes many assumptions, but does not presuppose that ___________________.
A. professionals who spend a great deal of time practicing their creative pursuit will not earn much money.
B. only people who are naturally creatively gifted can succeed both creatively and professionally.
C. a person cannot succeed professionally and succeed creatively at the same time.
D. time spent practicing a creative endeavor curtails one's ability to spend time pursuing professional success.
E. one should not pursue a creative field unless one intends to excel in it.
my take is choice E
1.We commonly speak of aesthetic judgments as subjective, and in the short term they are, since critics often disagree about the value of a particular contemporary work of art. But over time, the subjective element disappears. When works of art have continued to delight audiences for centuries, as have the paintings of Michelangelo, the music of Bach, and the plays of Shakespeare, we can objectively call them great.
The statements above best support which of the following conclusions?
(A) When Michelangelo, Bach, and Shakespeare were alive, critics disagreed about the value of their work.
(B) The value of a contemporary work of art cannot be objectively measured.
(C) The reputation of a work of art often fluctuates greatly from one generation to the next.
(D) The mere fact that a work of art has endured for centuries does not establish its greatness.
(E) If critics agree about the value of a particular cotemporary work of art, then the work can objectively be called great
2.In the industrialized nations, the last century has witnessed a shortening of the average workday from twelve hours or longer to less than eight hours. Mindful of this enormous increase in leisure time over the past century, many people assume that the same trend has obtained throughout history, and that, therefore, prehistoric humans must have labored incessantly for their very survival.
We cannot, of course, directly test this assumption. However, a study of primitive peoples of today suggests a different conclusion. The Mbuti of central Africa, for instance, spend only a few hours each day in hunting, gathering, and tending to other economic necessities. The rest of their time is spent as they choose. The implication is that the short workday is not peculiar to industrialized societies. Rather, both the extended workday of 1880 and the shorter workday of today are products of different stages of the continuing process of industrialization.
Which of the following, if true, would most greatly strengthen the argument made in the passage above?
(A) In recent decades, the economy of the Mbuti has been markedly affected by the encroachment of modern civilization.
(B) The life-style of the Mbuti is similar to that of prehistoric humans.
(C) The Mbuti have no words in their language to express the distinction between work activities and leisure activities.
(D) The workday of a European peasant in medieval times averaged between eleven and fifteen hours.
(E) The members of the Shaklik tribe in central Asia have an average workday of ten to twelve hours.
My choices are E & A
Politician: My opponent says our zoning laws too strongly promote suburban single-family dwellings and should be changed to encourage other forms of housing like apartment buildings. Yet he lives in a house in the country. His lifestyle contradicts his own argument, which should therefore not be taken seriously.
The politicians reasoning is most vulnerable to criticism on the ground that
(D) Its discussion of the opponents lifestyle is irrelevant to the merits of the opponents argument.
my take (d)..
Politician: My opponent says our zoning laws too strongly promote suburban single-family dwellings and should be changed to encourage other forms of housing like apartment buildings. Yet he lives in a house in the country. His lifestyle contradicts his own argument, which should therefore not be taken seriously.
The politicians reasoning is most vulnerable to criticism on the ground that
(A) Its characterization of the opponents lifestyle reveals the politicians own prejudice against constructing apartment buildings.
(B) It neglects the fact that apartment buildings can be built in the suburbs just as easily as in the center of the city.
(C) It fails to mention the politicians own living situation
(D) Its discussion of the opponents lifestyle is irrelevant to the merits of the opponents argument.
(E) It ignores the possibility that the opponent may have previously lived in an apartment building.
I wud go with option D
-Deepak.
If the city council institutes new parking regulations, city revenues will surely increase, since studies have conclusively shown that, if such parking regulations are put into effect, there is an increase in parking violations, and an increase in parking violations will result in a greater number of parking fines collected.
21. Which one of the following is closest, in terms of its logical features, to the reasoning used in the argument above?
(A) Last year's increase in revenues can be easily explained. That was the year the city council instituted new parking regulations. No doubt the new law brought with it an increase in the number of parking violations.
(B) If taxes were increased, this act would naturally result in increased revenues for the city, and increased revenues would make some desirable social programs possible. So, if taxes were increased, some desirable social programs would become possible.
(C) Henry says that, if the city council goes into closed session, an important matter of personnel policy is being discussed. However, no personnel matters were discussed at the council meeting, so if Henry is right, the council did not go into closed session.
(D) All cars parked on the north side of the street were ticketed last night, and the same cars were towed away this morning. So beware! A car ticketed in this city also gets towed away.
(E) Allen says that, if the city council institutes new parking regulations, it is unlikely that revenues for the city will increase. If Allen is right, then the parking regulation plan should not be instituted.