I ll say E....

Even though they are coming to similar conclusions. Jane believes there is no accepted quality of tone whereas the other says there is a accepted quality but prof harper is not the one

I'm leaning towards (E).

Jane's argument is describing how there's no universally-adopted sound for guitar.
Mark's argument somehow pointed out that it took less than 10 years for Torres to finally discovery a (more-or-less) universally-adopted sound.
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My ans is E
Jane: harper's has no value since no widely accepted basis for evaluating the merits of a guitar’s sound.
Mark: it can have value, if time and superior sound.
So Jane and Mark base their conclusions on different suppositions.
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A Mark’s argument shows how a weakness in Jane’s argument can be
overcome.
Marks arg doesnot show any weakness in Janes since they are based on different suppositions
B Mark’s argument has a premise in common with Jane’s argument.
none common..totalkly different premises
C Mark and Jane use similar techniques to argue for different conclusions.
conslcusion remians same
D Mark’s argument restates Jane’s argument in other terms.
conclusion is same,argument isnt
E Mark’s argument and Jane’s argument are based on conflicting suppositions.
CORRECT

I think this question/thread has been opened for too long. Can we get the OA, and OE if possible?

Thanks.
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OA is E.

This is one of the greatest Method of Reasoning questions of all time. First
take a close look at the statements made by Jane and Mark. In the majority
of GMAT questions with two speakers—one identifiably male and the other
identifiably female—the male makes a mistake or an error of reasoning and
the female uses sound reasoning. This does not occur in every problem, but
it occurs enough to be more than random. Why? The thinking goes that in
order for GMAC to protect themselves against accusations that they are
biased against women, they create problems where the male is clearly the
one using faulty reasoning. Jane’s position: Jane concludes that Professor
Harper’s ideas are valueless because there is no way to evaluate a guitar
sound and determine what constitutes a better-sounding guitar. Mark’s
position: Mark also agrees that Professor Harper’s ideas are valueless, but
Mark’s reasoning is that if Harper’s ideas really worked, then they would have
been adopted by now. In making this analysis, Mark reveals that he believes
there is a way to determine that one guitar sounds better than another. Like
all GMAT questions, you must lock down the exact nature of the premises
and conclusions! Mark’s initial comment of “What’s more” leads most people
to believe he is in complete agreement with Jane. Yes, he agrees with her
conclusion, but his reason for doing so is completely contrary to Jane’s
reason. Mark actually misinterprets Jane’s claim, and this is why he says
“What’s more,” as if he is adding an additional piece of information that
supports her position. He is not; the premise that he uses contradicts Jane’s
premises. If you simply accept “What’s more” to mean that he is in complete
agreement with Jane, you will most certainly miss the question, and have no
idea you have done so. The problem becomes even more challenging
because the answer choices are brilliantly constructed: Answer choice (A):
Mark does not address a weakness in Jane’s argument or show how one
could be overcome. Do not mistake the use of “What’s more” to automatically
mean that he is adding something helpful to the situation. Answer choice (B):
This is an answer chosen by many people, and it has Shell game aspects.
Mark’s argument does not have a premise in common with Jane’s argument;
rather, Mark’s argument has the conclusion in common with Jane’s
argument. Before you select this answer, use the Fact Test and ask yourself,
“Which premise do the two arguments have in common?” You won’t be able
to find one, and that would instantly disprove the answer. Answer choice (C):
This is a very clever Reverse Answer choice. The answer states: “Mark and
Jane use similar techniques to argue for different conclusions.” In fact, the
following happens in the stimulus: “Mark and Jane use different techniques to
argue for similar conclusions.” If you had any doubt that the makers of the
GMAT put the same amount of work into the wrong answers as the correct
answers, this answer choice should be convince you that they do. Answer
choice (D): An argument is the sum of the premises and conclusion. Although
Mark restates Jane’s conclusion, he does not restate her premises.
Therefore, he does not restate her argument and this answer is incorrect.
Answer choice (E): This is the correct answer. As discussed in the argument
analysis, Jane believes that there is no way to evaluate the merit of a guitar’s
sounds. On the opposite side, Mark’s response indicates he believes that
there is a way to evaluate the merit of a guitar’s sound (“because of the
improvement it makes in tonal quality”) and thus the two have conflicting
positions. This is another great example of a separator question: one that
scorers in a certain range will get and scorers in a lower range will not get.
This is also a dangerous question because many people think they have
chosen the correct answer when in fact they have missed it. The lesson here
is that you must be an active, prepared reader. Do not allow yourself to be
lured by Mark’s comment of “What’s more” into believing that he
automatically is in agreement with Jane. The test makers use that phrase to
see if you will read closely enough to discern his real argument or if you will
simply gloss over his comments on the basis of how they are introduced. The
GMAT always makes you pay if you gloss over any section of a stimulus.

serbiano

Great question. Where is it from?

Bravo
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E
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Amar
http://amarnaik.wordpress.com

E
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