Events & Promotions
|
|
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
Track
Your Progress
Practice
Pays
Not interested in getting valuable practice questions and articles delivered to your email? No problem, unsubscribe here.
Nov 2007:30 AM PST
-08:30 AM PST
Learn what truly sets the UC Riverside MBA apart and how it helps in your professional growth
Nov 2211:00 AM IST
-01:00 PM IST
Do RC/MSR passages scare you? e-GMAT is conducting a masterclass to help you learn – Learn effective reading strategies Tackle difficult RC & MSR with confidence Excel in timed test environment- Nov 23
11:00 AM IST
-01:00 PM IST
Attend this free GMAT Algebra Webinar and learn how to master the most challenging Inequalities and Absolute Value problems with ease. 
Nov 2510:00 AM EST
-11:00 AM EST
Prefer video-based learning? The Target Test Prep OnDemand course is a one-of-a-kind video masterclass featuring 400 hours of lecture-style teaching by Scott Woodbury-Stewart, founder of Target Test Prep and one of the most accomplished GMAT instructors.
27 Aug 2025, 22:00
Kudos
Bookmarks
B
Be sure to select an answer first to save it in the Error Log before revealing the correct answer (OA)!
Difficulty:
35%
(medium)
Question Stats:
73% (01:44) correct
27%
(01:45)
wrong
based on 176
sessions
History
Date
Time
Result
Not Attempted Yet
A proposal for a new building fire safety code requires that fireretardant insulation no longer be sprayed on steel girders in the factory, but be sprayed on once the girders have arrived at the building site. This will eliminate the dislodging of the insulation in transit and reduce fatalities in catastrophic fires by an estimated 20%.
Which of the following, if true, represents the strongest challenge to the new proposal?
(A) The fire-retardant insulation will also be required to be one inch thicker than in the past.
(B) Studies have shown that most dislodgement of insulation occurs after the girders arrive on site.
(C) Catastrophic fires represent only 4% of the fires reported nationally.
(D) The proposed safety code will add considerably to the cost of new construction.
(E) In most of Europe, spraying fire-retardant insulation onto steel girders at the building site has been required for the past ten years.
Which of the following, if true, represents the strongest challenge to the new proposal?
(A) The fire-retardant insulation will also be required to be one inch thicker than in the past.
(B) Studies have shown that most dislodgement of insulation occurs after the girders arrive on site.
(C) Catastrophic fires represent only 4% of the fires reported nationally.
(D) The proposed safety code will add considerably to the cost of new construction.
(E) In most of Europe, spraying fire-retardant insulation onto steel girders at the building site has been required for the past ten years.
28 Aug 2025, 00:43
Kudos
Bookmarks
Option (A): The fire-retardant insulation will also be required to be one inch thicker than in the past. This might increase cost or application time, but it doesn't directly challenge the main point about reducing dislodgement and fatalities. In fact, thicker insulation might even improve fire safety, so it doesn't challenge the proposal's effectiveness.
Option (B): Studies have shown that most dislodgement of insulation occurs after the girders arrive on site. This directly challenges the proposal's rationale. The proposal assumes that dislodgement happens during transit, so by spraying on site, they avoid transit dislodgement. But if most dislodgement happens after arrival on site, then spraying on site won't prevent that dislodgement. This means the proposal might not achieve its goal of reducing dislodgement and thus might not reduce fatalities as expected. This seems like a strong challenge.
Option (C): Catastrophic fires represent only 4% of fires reported nationally. The proposal aims to reduce fatalities in catastrophic fires by 20%. But even if catastrophic fires are rare, reducing fatalities by 20% could still be significant. However, this doesn't directly challenge the mechanism of the proposal; it just says that the benefit might be small in terms of overall fires. But since the proposal is specifically for catastrophic fires, it might still be worthwhile. So, this isn't the strongest challenge.
Option (D): The proposed safety code will add considerably to the cost of new construction. This is a practical concern, but it doesn't directly address the safety benefit. The proposal might still be effective in reducing fatalities, even if it costs more. Challenges based on cost are common, but in terms of safety, cost might not be the strongest challenge if lives are saved. Moreover, the argument is about safety, not cost-effectiveness, so this might not be as direct a challenge as option (B).
Option (E): In most of Europe, spraying fire-retardant insulation onto steel girders at the building site has been required for the past ten years. This actually supports the proposal by showing that it has been implemented elsewhere successfully. It doesn't challenge the proposal; it reinforces it. So, this is not a challenge at all.
Comparing all options, option (B) directly undermines the proposal's reasoning by showing that the main problem (dislodgement) isn't primarily during transit but after arrival on site. Therefore, changing the spraying location won't solve the dislodgement issue, and thus won't reduce fatalities as claimed.
Option (B): Studies have shown that most dislodgement of insulation occurs after the girders arrive on site. This directly challenges the proposal's rationale. The proposal assumes that dislodgement happens during transit, so by spraying on site, they avoid transit dislodgement. But if most dislodgement happens after arrival on site, then spraying on site won't prevent that dislodgement. This means the proposal might not achieve its goal of reducing dislodgement and thus might not reduce fatalities as expected. This seems like a strong challenge.
Option (C): Catastrophic fires represent only 4% of fires reported nationally. The proposal aims to reduce fatalities in catastrophic fires by 20%. But even if catastrophic fires are rare, reducing fatalities by 20% could still be significant. However, this doesn't directly challenge the mechanism of the proposal; it just says that the benefit might be small in terms of overall fires. But since the proposal is specifically for catastrophic fires, it might still be worthwhile. So, this isn't the strongest challenge.
Option (D): The proposed safety code will add considerably to the cost of new construction. This is a practical concern, but it doesn't directly address the safety benefit. The proposal might still be effective in reducing fatalities, even if it costs more. Challenges based on cost are common, but in terms of safety, cost might not be the strongest challenge if lives are saved. Moreover, the argument is about safety, not cost-effectiveness, so this might not be as direct a challenge as option (B).
Option (E): In most of Europe, spraying fire-retardant insulation onto steel girders at the building site has been required for the past ten years. This actually supports the proposal by showing that it has been implemented elsewhere successfully. It doesn't challenge the proposal; it reinforces it. So, this is not a challenge at all.
Comparing all options, option (B) directly undermines the proposal's reasoning by showing that the main problem (dislodgement) isn't primarily during transit but after arrival on site. Therefore, changing the spraying location won't solve the dislodgement issue, and thus won't reduce fatalities as claimed.
28 Aug 2025, 08:56
Kudos
Bookmarks
A proposal for a new building fire safety code requires that fireretardant insulation no longer be sprayed on steel girders in the factory, but be sprayed on once the girders have arrived at the building site. This will eliminate the dislodging of the insulation in transit and reduce fatalities in catastrophic fires by an estimated 20%.
Which of the following, if true, represents the strongest challenge to the new proposal?
(A) The fire-retardant insulation will also be required to be one inch thicker than in the past.
Incorrect: Since this have no effect on the argument. Thickness is not what the argument is about, Argument is about how we will save people from catastrophic fires by doing insulation at site
(B) Studies have shown that most dislodgement of insulation occurs after the girders arrive on site.
Correct: if dislodgement tends to happen after arriving on site, Our plan will not work. Even if we do good coating, the plan will fail and catastropic fires will still be a taking life of people
(C) Catastrophic fires represent only 4% of the fires reported nationally.
Incorrect: Even if it represnet a small %, we are not bothered since we care only about fatalities in case a fire occurs.
(D) The proposed safety code will add considerably to the cost of new construction.
Irrelevant: Cost is not a consideration
(E) In most of Europe, spraying fire-retardant insulation onto steel girders at the building site has been required for the past ten years.
Irrelevant: Says a practice which doesnt strengthen or weaken
Which of the following, if true, represents the strongest challenge to the new proposal?
(A) The fire-retardant insulation will also be required to be one inch thicker than in the past.
Incorrect: Since this have no effect on the argument. Thickness is not what the argument is about, Argument is about how we will save people from catastrophic fires by doing insulation at site
(B) Studies have shown that most dislodgement of insulation occurs after the girders arrive on site.
Correct: if dislodgement tends to happen after arriving on site, Our plan will not work. Even if we do good coating, the plan will fail and catastropic fires will still be a taking life of people
(C) Catastrophic fires represent only 4% of the fires reported nationally.
Incorrect: Even if it represnet a small %, we are not bothered since we care only about fatalities in case a fire occurs.
(D) The proposed safety code will add considerably to the cost of new construction.
Irrelevant: Cost is not a consideration
(E) In most of Europe, spraying fire-retardant insulation onto steel girders at the building site has been required for the past ten years.
Irrelevant: Says a practice which doesnt strengthen or weaken
