Hello ab2014;
IMO the relevant option here is D.
Let me explain:
The conclusion here is that "The performance of current batch of Hartworth College students in the course has been the best till date."
He says this because the avg grade in 2009 is higher than in 2001.
Now- we are supposed to weaken the argument:
Let's look at the options
A. Irrelevant : Talks about grading system of OTHER colleges - the scope of the argument doesn't include this.
B. Irrelevant: talks about some other course - outside the scope of this argument.
C. Strengthens: If this were true then it eliminates a potential alternate cause (therefore making the current causation more plausible).
D. Yes Weakens: How?
If grades are calculated as a percentage of the course topper's then the we realise that the scoring system may not have been consistent.
For instance. Let's say in 2001 the highest score was 100 and the rest of the class scored about 60 on average - the average grade is therefore 60 (based on the highest score).
And let's say in 2009 the highest score was 50 and every one else score 45 on average - then the average grade is therefore 90.
2009 students have better grades that 2001 students - but have they really done better? Not really!
Option D therefore, if true, could weaken the argument.
E. Irrelevant: compares students of that course vs entire college. Outside the scope of the argument.
Hope this makes sense!
Regards,
Ajeeth Peo
Instructor - CrackVerbal
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ab2014 wrote:
Hi
Hope to see some responses for this question:
Hartworth Professor: The performance of current batch of Hartworth College students in the course has been the best till date. The average grade of the batch has been the highest since the course was first offered in Hartworth in the year 2001. This year, the average grade of the students saw a 7 percent increase over the previous highest average grade that was held by the students of 2009 batch.
Which of the following most weakens the Professor’s statement?
A. The evaluation system of Hartworth for the particular course differs from the course evaluation system that is followed by other colleges for the same course.
B. It is wrong to expect that the current batch of Hartworth students will perform well in the course as the average grade in economics for the batch has been the lowest since economics was first offered in Hartworth in 2001.
C. The grading methodology followed for the course evaluation has never changed since the course was first offered in 2001.
D. Each course in Hartworth follows a grading system in which the grades reflect scores that are computed as a percentage of the course topper’s absolute marks.
E. The number of students in the batch who scored above 90 percent in the course is less than the number of students who scored above 90 percent in 2009.