gmatFalcon wrote:
When military spending increased in Country X ten years ago, citizens started spending a smaller percentage of their disposable income on luxury items. When military spending recently decreased, spending on luxury items increased back to its initial level. The perceived threat of war, therefore, persuades consumers to spend less on luxuries than they otherwise would.
The argument above depends on which of the following assumptions?
A. The perceived threat of war has increased over the years.
B. Most citizens supported the decrease in military spending.
C. Citizen's perceptions of the threat of war depend on the amount of military spending by Country X.
D. The people who spent the most money on luxury items when military spending was low were the ones who supported low levels of military spending.
E. There are fewer luxury goods available when military spending increases.
A. The perceived threat of war has increased over the years. -
This is wrong the passage , the argument does not state that threat is increased. So incorrect.B. Most citizens supported the decrease in military spending. -
Alternate Context - Passage does not mention anything about support from the citizens.C. Citizen's perceptions of the threat of war depend on the amount of military spending by Country X. -
Correct. We can use negation technique to validate the claim. Negation - Citizen's perceptions of the threat of war do not depend on the amount of military spending by Country X. This statement will directly attack the conclusion - The perceived threat of war, therefore, persuades consumers to spend less on luxuries than they otherwise would. Hence this is the correct answer..
D. The people who spent the most money on luxury items when military spending was low were the ones who supported low levels of military spending. -
Same as BE. There are fewer luxury goods available when military spending increases. -
Argument do not mention this. Out of scope .Please feel free to reach out in case of any questions.
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