A particular phenomenon has been observed in the relationship between

Question

A particular phenomenon has been observed in the relationship between age and attire. The more formally a person is dressed, the older the average observer will gauge him or her to be. Thus, the average observer viewing two men, one wearing a business suit and the other wearing casual clothing, will generally estimate the man in the business suit to be five years older than the man wearing casual clothing.

The conclusion of the argument above would be more properly drawn if which of the following were true?

(A) The age of the man wearing the business suit is greater than that of the man wearing casual clothing.

(B) The older a man is, the more likely it is that he will wear a business suit.

(C) The age of the man wearing the business suit is equal to the age of the man wearing casual clothing.

(D) The average observer's estimates of age are generally more accurate regarding casually dressed people than formally dressed people.

(E) The average observer's estimates of age are generally more accurate regarding formally dressed people than casually dressed people.

fitzpratik · Answer

A particular phenomenon has been observed in the relationship between age and attire.

The more formally a person is dressed, the older the average observer will gauge him or her to be.   (So, regardless of actual age, formal attire makes a person seem older and a casual attire makes a person seem younger)

Conclusion:  Thus, the average observer viewing two men, one wearing a business suit and the other wearing casual clothing, will generally estimate the man in the business suit to be five years older than the man wearing casual clothing.

The conclusion of the argument above would be more properly drawn if which of the following were true?  (Which of the following reinforces the conclusion)

(A) The age of the man wearing the business suit is greater than that of the man wearing casual clothing. WRONG
  (This negates the information in the argument. This statement suggests that attire has no correlation with the looks of the person and formally dressed perosn appears older because he is indeed old).) 
(B) The older a man is, the more likely it is that he will wear a business suit.  WRONG
(No correlation is made in the argument regarding the choice of attire and the age) 
(C) The age of the man wearing the business suit is equal to the age of the man wearing casual clothing. Correct 
  (If this is true, indeed the formal attire makes the person look older! reinforces our conclusion that a person appears older becoz he is wearing formal attire) 
(D) The average observer's estimates of age are generally more accurate regarding casually dressed people than formally dressed people.  WRONG - Average ages are not discussed in the argument 
(E) The average observer's estimates of age are generally more accurate regarding formally dressed people than casually dressed people.  WRONG - Average ages are not discussed in the argument

Doer01 · Answer

Hi Folks,
 Argument says that to an average observer, a person wearing a formal attire APPEARS to be order than the person in casual attire.
Option C brings up the hidden truth. If the two persons are of the same age and attire is the only thing that differs, then indeed the conclusion can be drawn.

Cheers!

Sajjad1994 · Answer

Official Explanation

Conclusion:   The average observer viewing two men, one wearing a business suit and the other wearing casual clothing, will generally estimate the man in the business suit to be five years older than the man wearing casual clothing.

Premise:   A particular phenomenon has been observed in the relationship between age and attire. The more formally a person is dressed, the older the average observer will gauge him or her to be.

Assumption:   The attire of the two men is the only factor that influences their perceived ages. If the two men were dressed similarly, they would be perceived to be of a similar age.

The question asks which choice would make the conclusion more properly drawn. If this conclusion is better drawn, then it is more valid, so this in a strengthen question. The passage notes the phenomenon that the more formally a person is dressed, the older the average observer will gauge him or her to be.

uses the analogy reasoning pattern. The language shifts form the premise about a person to the conclusion about two men, one wearing a business suit and the other wearing casual clothing. To make this shift, the argument assumes that the only difference between the two men is their attire. Because this is a strengthen question, the correct answer will provide a reason that supports this assumption. Now, evaluate the answer choices.

Choice A:  No. This choice weakens the argument. If the age of the man wearing the business suit is greater, this provides a reason other than his attired for his older appearance.

Choice B:  No. This choice weakens the argument. If an older man is more likely   wear a business suit, he may be perceived as older because of this actual age rather than because of his attire.

Choice C:  Correct. If the two men are equal in their ages, then this supports the idea that the man wearing the business suit, who is more formally attired, appears older due to his clothing and not for another reason.

Choice D:  No. Whether an average observer’s estimates of age are…accurate is out of scope. The argument concludes that an observer will estimate a man wearing a business suit to be five years older than a man wearing casual clothing. The passage does not address the accuracy of such estimates.

Choice E:  No. Whether an average observer’s estimates of age are…accurate is out of scope. The argument concludes that an observer will estimate a man wearing a business suit to be five years older than a man wearing casual clothing. The passage does not address the accuracy of such estimates.

The correct answer is choice C.

Hope it helps

anantvarma · Answer

I get why is it option (C), but I am wasn't exactly able to eliminate option (A) by negation. Please help.

jaindevaditya · Answer

Step 1: Understand the Argument
Premise: The more formally a person is dressed, the older the average observer will gauge that person to be.

Conclusion: The average observer will generally estimate a man in a business suit to be five years older than a man wearing casual clothing.

Assumption: The argument assumes that the observer's perception of age is influenced solely by the attire and that the ages of the two men are comparable or the same, allowing for a fair comparison. The conclusion hinges on the idea that the only variable affecting the perceived age difference is the clothing.

Step 2: Identify the Task
The question asks for the condition that would make the conclusion more properly drawn. In other words, we're looking for an answer choice that, if true, would strengthen the conclusion or remove any ambiguity that might affect the conclusion's validity.

Step 3: Analyze Each Answer Choice
A. The age of the man wearing the business suit is greater than that of the man wearing casual clothing.

Analysis: If the man in the business suit is older, then the observer's perception might be correct because of the actual age difference, not necessarily because of the attire. This does not strengthen the argument that attire alone influences perceived age.
Conclusion: This does not make the conclusion more properly drawn.
B. The older a man is, the more likely it is that he will wear a business suit.

Analysis: This statement might explain why older men tend to wear business suits, but it doesn't directly address the observer's perception based solely on attire. The argument focuses on attire influencing perceived age, not on actual age or likelihood of wearing a suit.
Conclusion: This is irrelevant to the argument.
C. The age of the man wearing the business suit is equal to the age of the man wearing casual clothing.

Analysis: This choice aligns with the assumption that the ages of the two men are the same, making attire the only variable affecting the observer's perception. If the men are the same age, then any perceived age difference must be due to the clothing, which strengthens the argument's conclusion.
Conclusion: This makes the conclusion more properly drawn.
D. The average observer's estimates of age are generally more accurate regarding casually dressed people than formally dressed people.

Analysis: This choice suggests that observers are better at estimating the age of casually dressed people than those in formal attire. While this might indicate a potential bias in age estimation, it does not directly strengthen the conclusion that attire influences perceived age. It introduces a different variable (accuracy) rather than focusing on the attire alone.
Conclusion: This does not strengthen the argument.
E. The average observer's estimates of age are generally more accurate regarding formally dressed people than casually dressed people.

Analysis: Similar to choice D, this choice focuses on the accuracy of the age estimates. It suggests that observers are better at estimating the age of formally dressed people, but it doesn't directly impact the argument about how attire influences perceived age. It shifts the focus away from the impact of clothing on perception.
Conclusion: This does not strengthen the argument.
Step 4: Conclusion
The correct answer is C. The age of the man wearing the business suit is equal to the age of the man wearing casual clothing.

Why? This choice ensures that the only factor influencing the observer's perception of age is the attire, making the argument's conclusion more properly drawn. If both men are the same age, then the perceived age difference must be attributed to their clothing, which supports the argument that formal attire makes a person appear older.

AbhishekP220108 · Answer

Bunuel , could you please add the tag strengthen as per the explanation offered by sajjad. Thanks in advance

Bunuel · Answer

__________________
Done. Thank you!

A particular phenomenon has been observed in the relationship between

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