Last visit was: 20 Sep 2026, 19:59 It is currently 20 Sep 2026, 19:59
Home
Messages
Tests
Schools
Events
Close
GMAT Club Daily Prep
Thank you for using the timer - this advanced tool can estimate your performance and suggest more practice questions. We have subscribed you to Daily Prep Questions via email.

Customized
for You

we will pick new questions that match your level based on your Timer History

Track
Your Progress

every week, we’ll send you an estimated GMAT score based on your performance

Practice
Pays

we will pick new questions that match your level based on your Timer History
Not interested in getting valuable practice questions and articles delivered to your email? No problem, unsubscribe here.
Go to My Error Log Learn more
Close
Request Expert Reply
Confirm Cancel
Back to Forum
Create Topic
805+ (Hard)|   Strengthen|      
User avatar
Bunuel
User avatar
Math Expert
Joined: 02 Sep 2009
Last visit: 20 Sep 2026
Posts: 113,693
Own Kudos:
842,573
 [159]
Given Kudos: 111,683
Products:
GMAT Club Tests
Expert
Expert reply
Active GMAT Club Expert! Tag them with @ followed by their username for a faster response.
Posts: 113,693
Kudos: 842,573
 [159]
When people predict that certain result will not take place unless a 23 Jul 2018, 05:04
14
Kudos
Add Kudos
144
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
00:00
Start Timer
Pause Timer
Resume Timer
Show Answer
Hide
Show
History
D
Be sure to select an answer first to save it in the Error Log before revealing the correct answer (OA)!

Difficulty:

95% (hard)

Question Stats:

26% (02:04) correct 74% (02:10) wrong based on 2290 sessions

History

Date
Time
Result
Not Attempted Yet
When people predict that certain result will not take place unless a certain action is taken, they believe that they have learned that the prediction is correct when the action is taken and the result occurs. On reflection, however, it often becomes clear that the result admits of more than one interpretation.

Which of the following, if true, best supports the claims above?


(A) Judging the success of an action requires specifying the goal of the action.

(B) Judging which action to take after a prediction is made requires knowing about other actions that have been successful in similar past situations.

(C) Learning whether a certain predictive strategy is good requires knowing the result using that strategy through several trials.

(D) Distinguishing a correct prediction and effective action from an incorrect prediction and ineffective action is often impossible.

(E) Making a successful prediction requires knowing the facts about the context of that prediction.
ShowHide Answer
Official Answer
D
Most Helpful Reply
User avatar
KarishmaB
User avatar
Joined: 16 Oct 2010
Last visit: 19 Sep 2026
Posts: 16,652
Own Kudos:
81,440
 [54]
Given Kudos: 492
Location: Pune, India
Expert
Expert reply
Active GMAT Club Expert! Tag them with @ followed by their username for a faster response.
Posts: 16,652
Kudos: 81,440
 [54]
When people predict that certain result will not take place unless a 06 Feb 2019, 22:09
31
Kudos
Add Kudos
22
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
Bunuel
When people predict that certain result will not take place unless a certain action is taken, they believe that they have learned that the prediction is correct when the action is taken and the result occurs. On reflection, however, it often becomes clear that the result admits of more than one interpretation.

Which of the following, if true, best supports the claims above?


(A) Judging the success of an action requires specifying the goal of the action.

(B) Judging which action to take after a prediction is made requires knowing about other actions that have been successful in similar past situations.

(C) Learning whether a certain predictive strategy is good requires knowing the result using that strategy through several trials.

(D) Distinguishing a correct prediction and effective action from an incorrect prediction and ineffective action is often impossible.

(E) Making a successful prediction requires knowing the facts about the context of that prediction.
Show more

Let's try to simplify the abstract discussion with an example:

"When people predict that certain result will not take place unless a certain action is taken,"

Prediction: You will not get 700+ in GMAT (certain result) unless you study hard (certain action)

"they believe that they have learned that the prediction is correct when the action is taken and the result occurs."

You study hard. You get 700+ in GMAT.
You learn that the prediction is correct.

"On reflection, however, it often becomes clear that the result admits of more than one interpretation."

700+ score admits of more than one interpretation. You may not be able to say that the prediction is correct. You may not be able to say that hard work got you 700+ score.

We need to strength this conclusion.

(A) Judging the success of an action requires specifying the goal of the action.

The goal of the action would presumably be "the result". The conclusion says that there is a specific result. Doesn't help in strengthening the conclusion.

(B) Judging which action to take after a prediction is made requires knowing about other actions that have been successful in similar past situations.

Past situations are irrelevant to the argument. A prediction is made on an action leading to result. The action is already specified. How we arrived at "study hard" is irrelevant here.

(C) Learning whether a certain predictive strategy is good requires knowing the result using that strategy through several trials.

This says that several trials are required to find whether the prediction is true. Our conclusion says that the prediction may not be true at all. Hence this option doesn't strengthen the conclusion either.

(D) Distinguishing a correct prediction and effective action from an incorrect prediction and ineffective action is often impossible.

(D) says that we may not be able to say what "hard work" is. Whether someone worked hard or not cannot be distinguished. If that is the case, then it is true that 700+ score admits of more than one interpretation.

(E) Making a successful prediction requires knowing the facts about the context of that prediction.

Context of the prediction is out of scope.

Answer (D)
General Discussion
User avatar
dave13
User avatar
Joined: 09 Mar 2016
Last visit: 10 Jul 2026
Posts: 1,081
Own Kudos:
1,161
 [1]
Given Kudos: 3,851
Posts: 1,081
Kudos: 1,161
 [1]
When people predict that certain result will not take place unless a 23 Jul 2018, 05:57
Kudos
Add Kudos
1
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
Bunuel
When people predict that certain result will not take place unless a certain action is taken, they believe that they have learned that the prediction is correct when the action is taken and the result occurs. On reflection, however, it often becomes clear that the result admits of more than one interpretation.

Which of the following, if true, best supports the claims above?


(A) Judging the success of an action requires specifying the goal of the action.

(B) Judging which action to take after a prediction is made requires knowing about other actions that have been successful in similar past situations.

(C) Learning whether a certain predictive strategy is good requires knowing the result using that strategy through several trials.

(D) Distinguishing a correct prediction and effective action from an incorrect prediction and ineffective action is often impossible.

(E) Making a successful prediction requires knowing the facts about the context of that prediction.
Show more


IMO D :grin: (D) Distinguishing a correct prediction and effective action from an incorrect prediction and ineffective action is often impossible.
avatar
suchit111985
avatar
Joined: 04 Dec 2017
Last visit: 24 Jul 2025
Posts: 2
Own Kudos:
1
 [1]
Given Kudos: 2
Posts: 2
Kudos: 1
 [1]
When people predict that certain result will not take place unless a 12 Aug 2018, 19:29
1
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
Can anyone Explain D and how is distinguishing word is used here


Sent from my iPhone using GMAT Club Forum
User avatar
jackspire
User avatar
Joined: 22 Sep 2017
Last visit: 10 Apr 2020
Posts: 124
Own Kudos:
37
 [4]
Given Kudos: 97
Posts: 124
Kudos: 37
 [4]
When people predict that certain result will not take place unless a 13 Aug 2018, 00:45
3
Kudos
Add Kudos
1
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
[quote="suchit111985"]Can anyone Explain D and how is distinguishing word is used here


Hello suchit111985,
Let me put my cents to your question.
The argument says that people assume that a prediction worked perfectly when it was applied and the result came as per their prediction. But the author uses a negative tone after that and conveys that the result has many interpretation. It means what people think that their action plan worked in getting the result is partially true as there are many other actions which gave the result. So, people can't say exactly whether their prediction and action plan worked or there were other factors(Other predictions) associated.

So, to support the argument given by the author we need to confirm that people don't know the real thing and take the credit for their prediction without knowing the whole picture.

Hope I clarified.
Not an expert. You can argue.
User avatar
Maria240895chile
User avatar
Joined: 23 Apr 2021
Last visit: 07 Jun 2023
Posts: 115
Own Kudos:
68
 [1]
Given Kudos: 115
Posts: 115
Kudos: 68
 [1]
When people predict that certain result will not take place unless a 08 Feb 2023, 13:04
1
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
what the passage says is that one group of people learnt that the prediction is correct if after A occurs, B occurs. But if more than one interpretation of B is possible, some other group of people could consider that the prediction is correct if after A, a variation of B occurs, lets call it C.

so C would be correct for group 1 but not for group 2.

it would be impossible to determine when a prediction is correct or not

IMO D
User avatar
mellowmev
User avatar
Joined: 01 Jan 2024
Last visit: 24 Mar 2026
Posts: 34
Own Kudos:
12
Given Kudos: 26
Location: India
Schools: CBS '26 (A) Kellogg '26 (A) Sloan '26 (D) Yale '26 (A) LBS '26 (A)
GPA: 9.4
Schools: CBS '26 (A) Kellogg '26 (A) Sloan '26 (D) Yale '26 (A) LBS '26 (A)
Posts: 34
Kudos: 12
When people predict that certain result will not take place unless a 15 Aug 2024, 05:55
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
This is a high-quality question
User avatar
Azakura16
User avatar
Joined: 17 May 2024
Last visit: 27 Dec 2025
Posts: 57
Own Kudos:
74
Given Kudos: 5
Location: United States (AR)
Schools: Booth '27 (I) LBS '26 (S) Said '27 (D)
GMAT Focus 1: 805 Q90 V90 DI90
GPA: 3.5
Products:
My Reviews
Schools: Booth '27 (I) LBS '26 (S) Said '27 (D)
GMAT Focus 1: 805 Q90 V90 DI90
Posts: 57
Kudos: 74
When people predict that certain result will not take place unless a 20 Nov 2024, 13:35
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
Quote:
When people predict that certain result will not take place unless a certain action is taken, they believe that they have learned that the prediction is correct when the action is taken and the result occurs. On reflection, however, it often becomes clear that the result admits of more than one interpretation.

Which of the following, if true, best supports the claims above?


(A) Judging the success of an action requires specifying the goal of the action.

(B) Judging which action to take after a prediction is made requires knowing about other actions that have been successful in similar past situations.

(C) Learning whether a certain predictive strategy is good requires knowing the result using that strategy through several trials.

(D) Distinguishing a correct prediction and effective action from an incorrect prediction and ineffective action is often impossible.

(E) Making a successful prediction requires knowing the facts about the context of that prediction.
Show more

This is talking about cause-and-effect. If people don't think that R will happen without A first occurring, and then they watch A happen, followed by R, they initially feel their prediction was correct. Upon further reflection, they realize that R could have been caused by other factors.
(A) In this case, the goal is the result, so it's already been specified.
(B) Since A and R have been specified, we're not concerned about similar situations from the past.
(C) This is out of scope, as we don't know what the situation is or whether several trials are feasible. It definitely doesn't help strengthen the conclusion.
(D) This choice strengthens the conclusion. The argument is that, if you think A will cause R, and then A precedes R, you might feel your prediction was correct, and then after giving it more thought, you might feel less sure that A was the cause of R. If distinguishing a correct prediction and effective action from an incorrect prediction/ineffective action is often impossible, then you might well feel that your initial prediction and action wasn't certainly the cause of R, with no way to be certain if it was or wasn't.
(E) Making a successful prediction doesn't necessarily require knowing facts about the context. People gamble all the time, and some of them are winning.

D is the best answer.
User avatar
bharathhr
User avatar
Joined: 25 Dec 2025
Last visit: 20 Sep 2026
Posts: 45
Own Kudos:
6
Given Kudos: 204
Location: India
Schools: ISB Booth (Chicago) Kellogg
GPA: 4
Products:
Forum Quiz
Schools: ISB Booth (Chicago) Kellogg
Posts: 45
Kudos: 6
When people predict that certain result will not take place unless a Updated on: 18 Sep 2026, 08:38
Originally posted by bharathhr on 18 Sep 2026, 06:42.
Last edited by Bunuel on 18 Sep 2026, 08:38, edited 1 time in total.
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
KarishmaB

Is it like D cast the doubt that the action itself ,, did it occured or not (at least effectively ) is difficult to tell , is it what makes D correct
KarishmaB


Let's try to simplify the abstract discussion with an example:

"When people predict that certain result will not take place unless a certain action is taken,"

Prediction: You will not get 700+ in GMAT (certain result) unless you study hard (certain action)

"they believe that they have learned that the prediction is correct when the action is taken and the result occurs."

You study hard. You get 700+ in GMAT.
You learn that the prediction is correct.

"On reflection, however, it often becomes clear that the result admits of more than one interpretation."

700+ score admits of more than one interpretation. You may not be able to say that the prediction is correct. You may not be able to say that hard work got you 700+ score.

We need to strength this conclusion.

(A) Judging the success of an action requires specifying the goal of the action.

The goal of the action would presumably be "the result". The conclusion says that there is a specific result. Doesn't help in strengthening the conclusion.

(B) Judging which action to take after a prediction is made requires knowing about other actions that have been successful in similar past situations.

Past situations are irrelevant to the argument. A prediction is made on an action leading to result. The action is already specified. How we arrived at "study hard" is irrelevant here.

(C) Learning whether a certain predictive strategy is good requires knowing the result using that strategy through several trials.

This says that several trials are required to find whether the prediction is true. Our conclusion says that the prediction may not be true at all. Hence this option doesn't strengthen the conclusion either.

(D) Distinguishing a correct prediction and effective action from an incorrect prediction and ineffective action is often impossible.

(D) says that we may not be able to say what "hard work" is. Whether someone worked hard or not cannot be distinguished. If that is the case, then it is true that 700+ score admits of more than one interpretation.

(E) Making a successful prediction requires knowing the facts about the context of that prediction.

Context of the prediction is out of scope.

Answer (D)
Show more
Moderators:
GMATNinja
GMAT Club Verbal Expert
7400 posts
AbhishekP220108
Verbal Forum Moderator
705 posts