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akshaykotha
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A new type of wrong answer option in CR 20 Sep 2018, 10:35
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Hello community,

I have been lately seeing a type of wrong answer (in CR) which doesn't belong to a reverse logic, out of scope, doesn't affect categories. But if the option is considered to be true, then my line of thought concludes that there is no point in doing the question i.e. the argument should not even exist. Do such type of options exist in the real GMAT or is it my line of thought which is categorizing such options into the new category?

If not, which is the category it can be attributed to?

Thanks!

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A new type of wrong answer option in CR 20 Sep 2018, 11:29
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akshaykotha
Hello community,

I have been lately seeing a type of wrong answer (in CR) which doesn't belong to a reverse logic, out of scope, doesn't affect categories. But if the option is considered to be true, then my line of thought concludes that there is no point in doing the question i.e. the argument should not even exist. Do such type of options exist in the real GMAT or is it my line of thought which is categorizing such options into the new category?

If not, which is the category it can be attributed to?

Thanks!
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Dear akshaykotha

Please provide a question sample for users to comments and feedback !!!
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A new type of wrong answer option in CR 20 Sep 2018, 19:46
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Abhishek009
akshaykotha
Hello community,

I have been lately seeing a type of wrong answer (in CR) which doesn't belong to a reverse logic, out of scope, doesn't affect categories. But if the option is considered to be true, then my line of thought concludes that there is no point in doing the question i.e. the argument should not even exist. Do such type of options exist in the real GMAT or is it my line of thought which is categorizing such options into the new category?

If not, which is the category it can be attributed to?

Thanks!

Dear akshaykotha

Please provide a question sample for users to comments and feedback !!!
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Hi Abhishek009,

This is one such question sample - https://gmatclub.com/forum/if-the-count ... 83787.html which might help in evaluating my query
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A new type of wrong answer option in CR 27 Sep 2018, 12:16
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akshaykotha
Hello community,

I have been lately seeing a type of wrong answer (in CR) which doesn't belong to a reverse logic, out of scope, doesn't affect categories. But if the option is considered to be true, then my line of thought concludes that there is no point in doing the question i.e. the argument should not even exist. Do such type of options exist in the real GMAT or is it my line of thought which is categorizing such options into the new category?

If not, which is the category it can be attributed to?

Thanks!
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I believe I know what you're referring to. Yes, these wrong answers exist in official problems, and they're particularly tricky. Here's an example I just made up. Can you confirm that this matches what you're seeing?

Quote:

Restaurant owner: A lot of my customers have recently requested that I offer takeout meals. Selling a takeout meal costs the restaurant no more than selling an ordinary meal, and it will attract customers who otherwise may not purchase our food. Therefore, offering takeout should increase my profits.

Which of the following most weakens the argument?

Right answer: Customers are willing to pay significantly more for a meal eaten in a restaurant than they are for a takeout meal.

Wrong answer: The number of customers at the restaurant has significantly decreased due to a noisy construction project across the street.
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The wrong answer makes you think, 'what's the point? We're doing badly anyways, and offering takeout doesn't fix the underlying problem, so it's like putting a band-aid on a broken leg.'

That said, it's still wrong. It's wrong because it's technically out of scope. The rules of CR say that the right answer to a weaken problem will make the exact conclusion less likely to be right. Here, the specific conclusion isn't 'we'll make lots of money' or 'our profits will be high' - it's 'offering takeout will increase profits'. The right answer has to specifically show that offering takeout might not increase profits.

The wrong answer might relate to the argument as a whole, but it doesn't tell you anything specifically about whether offering takeout will affect profits, so it's out of scope. Out of scope = 'doesn't bear on the specific conclusion', not 'doesn't relate to the point of the argument at all'.
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A new type of wrong answer option in CR 27 Sep 2018, 20:17
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ccooley


I believe I know what you're referring to. Yes, these wrong answers exist in official problems, and they're particularly tricky. Here's an example I just made up. Can you confirm that this matches what you're seeing?



The wrong answer makes you think, 'what's the point? We're doing badly anyways, and offering takeout doesn't fix the underlying problem, so it's like putting a band-aid on a broken leg.'

That said, it's still wrong. It's wrong because it's technically out of scope. The rules of CR say that the right answer to a weaken problem will make the exact conclusion less likely to be right. Here, the specific conclusion isn't 'we'll make lots of money' or 'our profits will be high' - it's 'offering takeout will increase profits'. The right answer has to specifically show that offering takeout might not increase profits.

The wrong answer might relate to the argument as a whole, but it doesn't tell you anything specifically about whether offering takeout will affect profits, so it's out of scope. Out of scope = 'doesn't bear on the specific conclusion', not 'doesn't relate to the point of the argument at all'.
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Thanks for the clarification ccooley. Now I get that it is actually an 'Out of scope' choice. Referring to this: The wrong answer might relate to the argument as a whole, but it doesn't tell you anything specifically about whether offering takeout will affect profits, so it's out of scope. according to me the wrong answer is wrong as it doesn't directly direct answer the question rather it is still a valid, relatable assertion. In such cases, does it help to look at such choices 'standalone' for a moment and then mark the answer? By standalone, I mean to get a general view of how it is related to the conclusion

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