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A certain computer program creates temporary files

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avohden
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A certain computer program creates temporary files [#permalink] New post   03 Dec 2013, 16:15
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A certain computer program creates temporary files on the computer on which it is installed. The files contain a programming error, or "bug", that, in rare cases, may cause the computer to freeze up. The temporary files are purged 90 days after the program is installed. Since no program will copy the bug to any other file, any computer containing the program that freezes more than 90 days after the program has been installed does not freeze because of this program.

Which of the following, if true, most seriously weakens the conclusion above?

(A) A computer that freezes due to the installation of the program in question produces a display that is similar to that which is displayed when computers freeze for many other reasons.
(B) The code that causes the freezing will be eliminated in a future release of the program.
(C) Other bugs in the programming may reveal themselves more than 90 days after the program is installed.
(D) A person can copy the programming code containing the bug to other files that are purged with less frequency than the temporary files.
(E) There are some computers on which the program is installed that appear to be unaffected by the programming bug.

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Re: A certain computer program creates temporary files [#permalink] New post   05 Dec 2013, 11:58
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avohden wrote:
A certain computer program creates temporary files on the computer on which it is installed. The files contain a programming error, or "bug", that, in rare cases, may cause the computer to freeze up. The temporary files are purged 90 days after the program is installed. Since no program will copy the bug to any other file, any computer containing the program that freezes more than 90 days after the program has been installed does not freeze because of this program.

Which of the following, if true, most seriously weakens the conclusion above?

(A) A computer that freezes due to the installation of the program in question produces a display that is similar to that which is displayed when computers freeze for many other reasons.
(B) The code that causes the freezing will be eliminated in a future release of the program.
(C) Other bugs in the programming may reveal themselves more than 90 days after the program is installed.
(D) A person can copy the programming code containing the bug to other files that are purged with less frequency than the temporary files.
(E) There are some computers on which the program is installed that appear to be unaffected by the programming bug.

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Dear avohden,
I'm happy to help. :-)

This Kaplan question is a re-written version of OG12, CR #30, about red blood cells and malaria. The question in the OG is, not surprisingly, a very well-written question. In my opinion, Kaplan did not do a good job in the process of rewriting. In OG question, (D) is clearly correct, and (C) is unambiguously wrong. In the Kaplan question, it's not as clear. Yes, we can probably say that (D) is the strongest answer, the one that "most seriously weakens the conclusion," but a strong argument can be made for (C), and the grounds for eliminating it are less cogent. Do the other bugs in the programming lead to problems that eventually cause the computer to freeze? Maybe, maybe not. It's unclear, but programming bugs are certainly not promising. The uncertainty about whether this would be relevant is presumably what disqualifies (C) as the answer. What's bizarre about (D) --- if a person is copying programming code, wouldn't they be aware of this and the risks it might entail? I work on my computer all day, and I NEVER open up the code of anything and copy code from one place to another. I believe what they are trying to suggest that, by saving files or re-opening a certain program or something ordinary such as these, the user inadvertently copies the code and, with it, the bugs. I think that's what they are trying to suggest, but they don't say it particularly clearly.
The OG question I would give a grade of A, as I would give virtually every question in the OG. The Kaplan question here, I would give a C or C-. This does not have the same logically tight quality that the OG questions have.

Here's another well-written CR question, for further practice:
https://gmat.magoosh.com/questions/3111

Does all this make sense?
Mike :-)
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Re: A certain computer program creates temporary files [#permalink] New post   05 Dec 2013, 12:35

Official Explanation



Answer D - The conclusion of the stimulus is that computers that freeze up more than 90 days after the program is installed – that is, after the temporary files containing the programming bug are purged – must freeze for reasons other than a reaction to the bug. The evidence is that the temporary files containing the bug are purged 90 days after the installation, and that neither the program itself nor any other program copies the bug to any longer-lived file. The assumption is that the bug cannot be copied by any other means. Since choice (D) contradicts this assumption, it is the correct choice.

Choice (A) is outside the scope – the display on the computer when it freezes is not mentioned in the stimulus, either for the program in question or for any other program!

Choice (B) is also immaterial – the stimulus is about the bug as it currently affects computers, not about its imminent demise.

Choice (C) is irrelevant, since we're only discussing one particular bug.

Choice (E) is outside the scope. We're concerned only with the computers the bug does affect, not the ones it doesn't affect.
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Re: A certain computer program creates temporary files [#permalink] New post   05 Dec 2013, 13:03
Hi Mike,
Thanks for the explanation. I thought this question/answer was a bit clumsy myself.
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Re: A certain computer program creates temporary files [#permalink] New post   14 Apr 2017, 05:26
It feels a bit awkward when 2 options both are potential answers - and we have to choose only one. :)
I stand with Both C and D . but C is clear .
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Re: A certain computer program creates temporary files [#permalink] New post   27 Oct 2018, 18:05
This is a Weaken question. The correct choice will make the conclusion less likely to follow from the stated evidence.

The conclusion of the stimulus is that computers that freeze up more than 90 days after the program is installed - that is, after the temporary files containing the programming bug are purged - must freeze for reasons other than a reaction to the bug. The evidence is that the temporary files containing the bug are purged 90 days after the installation and that neither the program itself nor any other program copies the bug to any longer-lived file. The assumption is that the bug cannot be copied by any other means.

The correct choice will attack the author's assumption. It will suggest some other way that the bug can be copied besides by the program in question or any other program.

(D) suggests another way the bug could be copied. If a person can copy the bug to other files that aren't purged, then a computer that freezes more than 90 days after the program was installed could freeze because of the bug. (D) therefore attacks the author's assumption and weakens the conclusion. (D) is correct.

(A) is incorrect because the argument is only about whether the bug in question can actually cause a freeze. The fact that freezes for other reasons appear the same on the display is irrelevant.

(B) is also immaterial: the stimulus is about the bug as it currently affects computers, not about its imminent demise.

(C) is irrelevant, as the argument is only concerned with one particular bug. Can this bug cause the computer to freeze more than 90 days after the program was installed? (C) doesn't relate to this at all.

(E) is incorrect because the argument is concerned only with the computers the bug does affect, not the ones it doesn't affect. The question is whether the bug can cause a freeze more than 90 days after the program has been installed, not whether it must cause a freeze.

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Re: A certain computer program creates temporary files [#permalink] New post   28 Oct 2018, 12:27
D IMO ...

Just out of curiosity, has anyone analysed option A ?

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Re: A certain computer program creates temporary files [#permalink] New post   04 May 2020, 22:51
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