Allowing employees to work remotely is widely accepted as environmentally friendly and cost-saving as compared to requiring employees to work on site during normal business hours. Moreover, the current work-from-home initiative already in effect at Company X demonstrates that employees are equally productive whether working on-site or remotely. The CEO at Company X therefore recommends that the company expand the current initiative to reach a target of 40 percent of all employees working remotely within 2 years.
Which of the following, if true, most seriously calls into question the reasoning behind expanding the current initiative at Company X?
(A) Participation in the current initiative has been completely voluntary, and employee participation has ranged from 10 percent in some divisions of the company to 50 percent in others. here already in some divisions its 50% employees are currently particpating actively so encouraging 40% employees to work at home would be like weaking the arguement.
(B) Eligibility for the current initiative has been restricted to the 20 percent of employees whose jobs do not require participation in regular on-site planning sessions. check the part imarked in bold its nowhere explicitly mentioned that only employees not working in site will be preferred for work from home so this weakens but partially
Option A is incorrect. Please read the stem once again. target is "target of 40 percent of all employees". You don't know the average of total employee voluntararily participating in the initiative. Saying that 50% are already particiapating thus manager's target of 40% will weaken the argument is incorrect.
Consider this example - there are 2 departments in the company
Dept A and Dept B - each with 100 employees
TOTAL = 200
10% of A = 10
50% of B = 50
total = 60 i.e. 30% of 200 whereas our target is 80 (40% of 200).
I know you will still stick to your choice but I request you to please check your sources. More often you have a false answer and that too supported with flawed reasoning. This is a bad practice. It will harm you on real exam.
OPTION B is the correct answer for this question.
PS: I hope your Kaplan teacher did not provide you the answer.
Kaplan is a trusted company with a long record of wonderful teachers and course material. we would love to have him here for a little chat if this question is from him.
I just got a link for ya --
find this Q tough
I saw people there were confused between option D and option C. only couple of people chose the correct answer. You will find my post as well 😉 -- just pitched in there to negate option D (saketk)
I got 2 useful links for everyone-- Dr. Rudner's view of GMAT (Chief Psychometrician of GMAC)
Demystifying the GMAT
and the percentile table --
The GMAT: What Your Percentile Ranking Means
Please read this comment by Dr. Rudner
First of all, at heart, the GMAT is a reasoning test, not a memorization test. There are many facts and rules that we need to know in order to succeed on the exam, but those facts and rules are just the beginning.
"We make the GMAT exam rigorous primarily by including test questions that tap the higher order thinking skills of analysis, synthesis, and evaluation." - Copyright GMAC
hth
How is Crack GMAT test? after test result they mention,its actually a low scoring exam and u can get more 100 points then this.Is this test anyby near to actual test and plz suggest me a test which is close to real test and give me nearby my actual score.
sauvata SaysHow is Crack GMAT test? after test result they mention,its actually a low scoring exam and u can get more 100 points then this.Is this test anyby near to actual test and plz suggest me a test which is close to real test and give me nearby my actual score.
GMAT Prep (can be download for free from www.mba.com) is the closest.
Manhattan GMAT test series is the second best. Don't know about Crack GMAT test series.
Option A is my choice
No one who lacks knowledge of a subject is competent to pass judgment on that subject. Since political know-how is a matter, not of adhering to technical rules, but of insight and style learned through apprenticeship and experience, only seasoned politicians are competent to judge whether a particular political policy is fair to all.
A major weakness of the argument is that it
(A) relies on a generalization about the characteristic that makes someone competent to pass judgment
(B) fails to give specific examples to illustrate how political know-how can be acquired
(C) uses the term "apprenticeship" to describe what is seldom a formalized relationship
(D) equates political know-how with understanding the social implications of political policies
(E) assumes that when inexperienced politicians set policy they are guided by the advice of more experienced politicians
option A is my choice
Three large companies and seven small companies currently manufacture a product with potential military applications. If the government regulates the industry, it will institute a single set of manufacturing specifications to which all ten companies will have to adhere. In this case, therefore, since none of the seven small companies can afford to convert their production lines to a new set of manufacturing specifications, only the three large companies will be able to remain in business.
Which of the following is an assumption on which the authors argument relies?
A. None of the three large companies will go out of business if the government does not regulate the manufacture of the product.
B. It would cost more to convert the production lines of the small companies to a new set of manufacturing specifications than it would to convert the production lines of the large companies.
C. Industry lobbyists will be unable to dissuade the government from regulating the industry.
D. Assembly of the product produced according to government manufacturing specifications would be more complex than current assembly procedures.
E. None of the seven small companies currently manufactures the product to a set of specifications that would match those the government would institute if the industry were to be regulated.
option B is my choice
"A product that represents a clear technological advance over competing products can generally command a high price. Because technological advances tend to be quickly surpassed and companies want to make large profits while they still can, many companies charge the maximum possible price for such a product. But large profits on the new product will give competitors a strong incentive to quickly match the new product's capabilities. Consequently, the strategy to maximize overall profit from a new product is to charge less than the greatest possible price.
In the argument above, the two portions in boldface play which of the following roles?
(A) The first is a consideration raised to argue that a certain strategy is counterproductive; the second presents that strategy.
(B) The first is a consideration raised to support the strategy that the argument recommends; the second presents that strategy.
(C) The first is a consideration raised to help explain the popularity of a certain strategy; the second presents that strategy.
(D) The first is an assumption, rejected by the argument, that has been used to justify a course of action; the second presents that course of action.
E) The first is a consideration that has been used to justify a certain strategy; the second presents the intended outcome of that strategy."
My take is option B
set xxx
1-
Samuel is obviously a bad fisherman. During the past season, in which he and the five members of his team spent four months on a boat together off Dutch Harbor, AK, he caught fewer fish than any of his teammates.
Which of the following, if true, most weakens the argument above?
A) Two seasons ago, Samuel fished on another boat off Dutch Harbor and caught more fish than any other member of that boat.
B) Before becoming a fisherman, Samuel piloted a fishing boat whose members regularly caught record numbers of fish.
C) While fishing this past season, Samuel fell sick for a week and did not catch any fish during this time.
D) Unlike the other fishermen on his boat, at the order of the captain, Samuel fished this past season with experimental bait.
E) Amongst the fishing community in Dutch Harbor, Samuel has a reputation for being an especially bad fisherman
2-
On a recent expedition to a remote region of northern Canada, scientists uncovered skeletal remains from about 100,000 years ago. Surprisingly, all the skeletal remains, which included many species from differing biological families and spanned about two thousand years, showed evidence of experiencing temperatures in excess of 1000 degrees Fahrenheit (or 538 degrees Celsius).
Which of the following, if true, best explains the apparent paradox between the cold environment and the evidence of the bones experiencing hot temperatures?
A) Other scientific research released two years before the expedition showed that the remote region of northern Canada underwent considerable warming in the past 100,000 years.
B) Chemical changes that naturally occur during the process of decay in only one north Canadian species produce the same evidence of the species' skeletons being exposed to hot temperatures as the expedition scientists found.
C) A little over 103,000 years ago, a large fire is known to have occurred in northern Canada.
D) Strong evidence exists that as early as 70,000 years ago, Homo sapiens around the world relied heavily on fire to cook animals.
E) In the same expedition and in roughly the same layer of excavation, scientists found rudimentary wood cutting and hunting tools used by early humans.
3-
Authors writing detective stories frequently include a brilliant detective and an incompetent investigator who embark on separate paths in an attempt to solve a crime. The separate accounts frequently consist of the incompetent investigator becoming distracted by the criminals' well-planned attempts and the competent detective solving the case after a violent confrontation. Many literary analysts believe authors often choose this storyline in an attempt to provide readers additional complexity and challenge in solving the investigation.
Which of the following most logically follows from the statements above?
A) A well-written detective story consists of an investigation being undertaken by a competent and incompetent investigator.
B) Some authors use an incompetent investigator to show the complexities of an investigation
.
C) Authors never write stories with incompetent investigators who solve a case correctly.
D) Authors can use the separate investigative accounts to make predicting the correct outcome of the investigation more difficult.
E) Authors write stories with competent and incompetent investigators to show the complexity of real life.
1-
Samuel is obviously a bad fisherman. During the past season, in which he and the five members of his team spent four months on a boat together off Dutch Harbor, AK, he caught fewer fish than any of his teammates.
Which of the following, if true, most weakens the argument above?
A) Two seasons ago, Samuel fished on another boat off Dutch Harbor and caught more fish than any other member of that boat.
B) Before becoming a fisherman, Samuel piloted a fishing boat whose members regularly caught record numbers of fish.
C) While fishing this past season, Samuel fell sick for a week and did not catch any fish during this time.
D) Unlike the other fishermen on his boat, at the order of the captain, Samuel fished this past season with experimental bait.
E) Amongst the fishing community in Dutch Harbor, Samuel has a reputation for being an especially bad fisherman
2-
On a recent expedition to a remote region of northern Canada, scientists uncovered skeletal remains from about 100,000 years ago. Surprisingly, all the skeletal remains, which included many species from differing biological families and spanned about two thousand years, showed evidence of experiencing temperatures in excess of 1000 degrees Fahrenheit (or 538 degrees Celsius).
Which of the following, if true, best explains the apparent paradox between the cold environment and the evidence of the bones experiencing hot temperatures?
A) Other scientific research released two years before the expedition showed that the remote region of northern Canada underwent considerable warming in the past 100,000 years.
B) Chemical changes that naturally occur during the process of decay in only one north Canadian species produce the same evidence of the species' skeletons being exposed to hot temperatures as the expedition scientists found.
C) A little over 103,000 years ago, a large fire is known to have occurred in northern Canada.
D) Strong evidence exists that as early as 70,000 years ago, Homo sapiens around the world relied heavily on fire to cook animals.
E) In the same expedition and in roughly the same layer of excavation, scientists found rudimentary wood cutting and hunting tools used by early humans.
3-
Authors writing detective stories frequently include a brilliant detective and an incompetent investigator who embark on separate paths in an attempt to solve a crime. The separate accounts frequently consist of the incompetent investigator becoming distracted by the criminals' well-planned attempts and the competent detective solving the case after a violent confrontation. Many literary analysts believe authors often choose this storyline in an attempt to provide readers additional complexity and challenge in solving the investigation.
Which of the following most logically follows from the statements above?
A) A well-written detective story consists of an investigation being undertaken by a competent and incompetent investigator.
B) Some authors use an incompetent investigator to show the complexities of an investigation
.
C) Authors never write stories with incompetent investigators who solve a case correctly.
D) Authors can use the separate investigative accounts to make predicting the correct outcome of the investigation more difficult.
E) Authors write stories with competent and incompetent investigators to show the complexity of real life.
he Kapoor Meatworks has a virtual monopoly on expensive, gourmet delicacies. In order to expand their market, they intend to offer a budget line of less costly delicacies. Such a product is virtually unknown, and they realize that its success depends upon a heavy advertising campaign. They have decided to finance the advertising with the profits from their gourmet line.
Which of the following, assuming each is a realistic possibility, would pose the most serious obstacle to the Kapoor Meatworks project?
(A) The introduction of a budget line of delicacies completely undercuts the sales of the gourmet line.
(B) At the start, the company spends more on advertising than it makes from sales of the budget line delicacies.
(C) When the budget line delicacies grow in popularity, competitors enter the budget delicacies market and Kapoor does not have a monopoly in that market.
(D) Many of the consumers who purchase the budget line are tempted to try the delicacies offered in the gourmet line.
(E) Many of the stores that now carry Kapoors gourmet line of delicacies are exclusive, and refuse to carry their budget line
my take is A
they are considering to finance advertising from the profits of the sales of gourmet line. if A is true then there will be less sales and less profit. so they will no longer be able to finance advertising of budget line with the profit of gourmet line.
option B says at start spending on advertising will be more than profit from gourmet line but it does not tell about after that(at start)
other options are irrelevant
he Kapoor Meatworks has a virtual monopoly on expensive, gourmet delicacies. In order to expand their market, they intend to offer a budget line of less costly delicacies. Such a product is virtually unknown, and they realize that its success depends upon a heavy advertising campaign. They have decided to finance the advertising with the profits from their gourmet line.
Which of the following, assuming each is a realistic possibility, would pose the most serious obstacle to the Kapoor Meatworks project?
(A) The introduction of a budget line of delicacies completely undercuts the sales of the gourmet line.
(B) At the start, the company spends more on advertising than it makes from sales of the budget line delicacies.
(C) When the budget line delicacies grow in popularity, competitors enter the budget delicacies market and Kapoor does not have a monopoly in that market.
(D) Many of the consumers who purchase the budget line are tempted to try the delicacies offered in the gourmet line.
(E) Many of the stores that now carry Kapoors gourmet line of delicacies are exclusive, and refuse to carry their budget line
B/w A & E, I will choose option A as this is having a direct impact on the Kapoor's strategy.
my take is C
Barnes: The two newest employees at this company have salaries that are too high for the simple tasks normally assigned to new employees and duties that are too complex for inexperienced workers. Hence, the
salaries and the complexity of the duties of these two newest employees should be reduced.
Which one of the following is an assumption on which Barnes's argument depends?
(A) The duties of the two newest employees are not less complex than any others in the
company.
(B) It is because of the complex duties assigned that the two newest employees are being
paid more than is usually paid to newly hired employees.
(C) The two newest employees are not experienced at their occupations.
(D) Barnes was not hired at a higher-than-average starting salary.
(E) The salaries of the two newest employees are no higher than the salaries that other
companies pay for workers with a similar level of experience.
my take is C
It is well known that human tears often serve to moisten the eye, protect it from infection, and wash away irritants; such tears are called irritant or reflex tears. Dr. Field hypothesizes that emotional tears have a different biological function. She suggests that by shedding tears when under emotional stress people excrete harmful chemicals that build up in such body fluids as blood serum during emotional stress.
Each of the following, if true, provides some support for Dr. Fields hypothesis EXCEPT:
(A) The people most likely to cry when undergoing emotional stress are less likely to suffer from stress-related diseases than is the population at large.
(B) If a local anesthetic is applied to the surface of the eye, irritant and reflex tears are inhibited, but emotional tears are not.
(C) The chemical composition of tears that are induced by grit in the eye is identical to the composition of tears induced by emotional stress.
(D) The concentration of a substance that the body produces only under conditions of emotional stress is thirty times greater in tears than in blood serum.
(E) Patients who suffer from a condition that prevents secretion of tears display a slower than normal physiological recovery from emotional stress.
my take is d....
Barnes: The two newest employees at this company have salaries that are too high for the simple tasks normally assigned to new employees and duties that are too complex for inexperienced workers. Hence, the
salaries and the complexity of the duties of these two newest employees should be reduced.
Which one of the following is an assumption on which Barnes's argument depends?
(A) The duties of the two newest employees are not less complex than any others in the
company.
(B) It is because of the complex duties assigned that the two newest employees are being
paid more than is usually paid to newly hired employees.
(C) The two newest employees are not experienced at their occupations.
(D) Barnes was not hired at a higher-than-average starting salary.
(E) The salaries of the two newest employees are no higher than the salaries that other
companies pay for workers with a similar level of experience.
option c.........
Barnes: The two newest employees at this company have salaries that are too high for the simple tasks normally assigned to new employees and duties that are too complex for inexperienced workers. Hence, the
salaries and the complexity of the duties of these two newest employees should be reduced.
Which one of the following is an assumption on which Barnes's argument depends?
(A) The duties of the two newest employees are not less complex than any others in the
company.
(B) It is because of the complex duties assigned that the two newest employees are being
paid more than is usually paid to newly hired employees.
(C) The two newest employees are not experienced at their occupations.
(D) Barnes was not hired at a higher-than-average starting salary.
(E) The salaries of the two newest employees are no higher than the salaries that other
companies pay for workers with a similar level of experience.
I will choose option C
A leading board member of AutoSnip Co., makers of an automated home haircutting system, recently stated that the company was in terrible shape and headed for a disastrous year. His concern was that, since the introduction of the AutoSnip III last year, calls to the customer service line have nearly doubled, indicating that people are very unhappy with the new product. Although it's true that it is the job of responsible board members to raise issues of concern, in this case the board member's analysis of the situation is mistaken. The customer service line handles not only complaints but also sales, and the majority of the new calls have been to place new orders.
What role do the two boldfaced selections play in the above argument?
A)The first provides evidence supporting the main conclusion of the argument; the second provides evidence supporting a conclusion that the argument opposes.
B)The first provides evidence, an interpretation of which supports the main conclusion of the argument; the second provides evidence supporting the main conclusion of the argument.
C)The first provides incontrovertible evidence opposing the main conclusion of the argument; the second provides evidence supporting the main conclusion of the argument.
D)The first provides evidence supporting the main conclusion of the argument; the second states that main conclusion.
E)he first provides evidence, an interpretation of which opposes the main conclusion of the argument; the second provides that interpretation.
very confusing...none of the options seemed correct but still, My take (B)... while giving OA kindly state the main conclusion of the passage...
He guys i have a basic query wrt Bold Face CR Questions. Can we have answer option, stating one of the bold face statement as "assumption of the argument",as the correct answer. Because assumption is supposed to be unstated premise so how it can be present in the argument ?
Hello,
I am posting one of the classic critical reasoning problem:
try solving this and know/learn the explanation of the same well.
once you understand such a problem I am sure most of your CR fear is out.
try this:
Is the answer (A), since occurrence of D would mean that occurrence A has happened.