Bunuel wrote:
A construction project has been tasked with building a four-lane road from a remote mountain fortress to a major expressway lying at the base of the mountain. The slope leading to the mountain fortress is so precipitous that the only conceivable way to carry out the project is by building the road downhill, since construction equipment is able to move down, but not up, the steep terrain. The foreman has devised the following solution: dismantle each construction vehicle and tie a part upon the back of a donkey, an animal capable of making the steep ascent. The foreman has at his disposal more than 100 donkeys, each of which is capable of making multiple trips up the mountain.
In order for the foreman’s plan to be successful, which of the following pieces of information is most important?
(A) Whether the strongest donkey is able to transport the heaviest piece of equipment
(B) Whether the weakest donkey is able to transport the lightest piece of equipment
(C) Whether any donkey is capable of transporting multiple parts
(D) Whether the second strongest donkey is able to transport the heaviest piece of equipment
(E) Whether the weakest donkey is able to transport the heaviest piece of equipment
Magoosh Official Explanation:
This type of question is what's known as a "Paragraph Argument" or "Critical Reasoning" question.
It would be closest to a "necessary condition" question, and that is why
A is correct. In order for the plan to work, at least one donkey must be capable of carrying the heaviest piece. Otherwise, the whole plan falls apart. And while I agree that it would be sufficient if the weakest donkey could carry the heaviest piece, it would also be sufficient if only the strongest one could. So either way, the answer is A.
The question asks which fact is most important for us to know. Whether the weakest donkey can carry the piece could not be said to be what is most important. It would be great if all the donkeys could carry all the different pieces, but it is only important that the strongest one be able to; without this the plan cannot succeed.
Donkeys are going to be used to transport parts of construction equipment up a hill. If there is a piece of construction equipment that is too heavy for any one donkey to carry, then the plan fails. That is, how will the foreman get that piece of equipment up the mountain? (We are, of course, discounting the absurdity of having two donkeys carrying one piece of equipment). Therefore, the answer is (A).
(B) is out. If the weakest donkey cannot carry the lightest piece of equipment, then another donkey can carry it. The plan is by no means foiled.
(C) has no bearing on the success of the plan because even if no donkey can carry multiple parts, the donkeys can conceivably carry the parts up the hill.
(D) is similar to (A), but what if the second strongest donkey cannot support the heaviest piece of equipment. The strongest donkey could still carry the heaviest piece of equipment.
(E) is wrong because even if the weakest donkey could not carry the heaviest piece, there are a whole herd of stronger donkeys that may be able to carry it.
close
21 Feb 2022, 05:00
45%
(medium)
37%
(01:54)
wrong 
