A researcher studying the habits of business school students found tha

Question

A researcher studying the habits of business school students found that, on average, students on academic probation due to low grade point averages tend to cheat more often than do other students. The researcher concluded that students who cheat are likely to receive poor grades, even if they are not caught cheating.

Which of the following, if true, most seriously weakens the researcher's conclusion?

(A) Students who are placed on academic probation due to low grade point averages often resort to cheating as a way to improve their grades.
 
(B) Some students with high grade point averages frequently cheat in order to obtain good grades.
 
(C) Not all students who cheat get caught.
 
(D) Some students on academic probation do not cheat.
 
(E) Students who cheat in school are also likely to engage in other dishonest behavior.

HumptyDumpty · Accepted Answer

A researcher has studied habits of business students. These students were on academic probation because their grade averages were low. The researcher found that these students cheat more often than other students.
Conclusion: " students who cheat are likely to receive poor grades, even if they are not caught cheating "
Student got on academic probation because of low grades. They got low grades (X) because they cheat (Y).

This argument is based on the reason X leading to the effect Y. The opposite way from Y to X would weaken the conclusion.

This is from Y to X, correct. The students did not cheat before they got on probation. They cheat on probation in order to help themselves to get past it. Key: "Students  on probation resort to  cheating"

Students with high grade point are irrelevant.

Getting caught or not is breaking up the category.

Very nice, is their number big enough to matter?

Out of scope.

ssbisht · Answer

Premise: students on academic probation due to low grade point averages tend to cheat more often than do other students.
Conclusion: students who cheat are likely to receive poor grades, even if they are not caught cheating.
 A choice which will prove that students who cheat can receive good grade will weaken the researcher's conclusion.

Now look at the choices:

A) Students who are placed on academic probation due to low grade point averages often resort to cheating as a way to improve their grades.
 This shows that cheating is a way to improve the grades for some students and hence is the correct answer.

B) Some students with high grade point averages frequently cheat in order to obtain good grades.
Irrelevant .The author is focusing on students on academic probation with poor grade points and not on students with high grade points.

C) Not all students who cheat get caught.
Irrelevant as doesn’t say anything about receiving good grades by cheating.

D) Some students on academic probation do not cheat.
Irrelevant as doesn’t say anything about receiving good grades by cheating.

E) Students who cheat in school are also likely to engage in other dishonest behavior.
Irrelevant as doesn’t say anything about receiving good grades by cheating.

pqhai · Answer

IMO, B is correct.
Premise: students on academic probation due to low grade point averages tend to cheat more often than do other students
Conclusion: students who cheat are likely to receive poor grades, even if they are not caught cheating.
 Assumption:   students who cheat are NOT likely to receive high grade.  
 If they cheat, but receive high grade ==> we cannot conclude people who cheat will receive poor grade.

A) Students who are placed on academic probation due to low grade point averages often resort to cheating as a way to improve their grades.
 Wrong.  This is just the premise, it doesn't help.
 
B) Some students with high grade point averages frequently cheat in order to obtain good grades.
  Correct.   
 
C) Not all students who cheat get caught.
 Wrong.  Out of scope.
 
D) Some students on academic probation do not cheat.
 Wrong.  It doesn't weaken.

E) Students who cheat in school are also likely to engage in other dishonest behavior.
 Wrong.  Out of scope.

anish123ster · Answer

Correct Answer: A

The researcher assumes that cheating caused the poor grades; it is possible that the situation is actually the reverse, where students with low grades are tempted to cheat in order to improve their grade point averages. 
Thus, Answer (A) is correct, since it shows that the low grades caused the cheating, not the other way around.

Answers (C), (D), and (E) are all out of scope; we do not care about students with high grades, the number of students who get caught cheating, students on probation who do not cheat, or other types of dishonest behavior.

Answer choice (B) is similarly out of scope, but perhaps trickier. While (B)  suggests that some students with high grade point averages cheat, the conclusion only states that cheaters are more likely to receive lower grades, not that they will always receive lower. The study cited in the premises is clear that low GPA students cheat more often than do high GPA students, so the fact that 'some' high GPA students frequently cheat is not damaging to the conclusion.

shasadou · Answer

Premise :  on avg.  low GPA = cheat  more often   this also permits that high GPA can cheat or some low GPA do not cheat

Conclusion : cheat --->  likely  low GPA  this permits also that cheat can get high GPA

Task : We need to destroy the Cause and Effect link employed by the conclusion and provide examples where the relationship is reverse  or  there is a different cause for low GPA and cheat has nothing to do with low GPA  or  cheat and low GPA are just a coincidence.

A: Students who are placed on academic probation due to low grade point averages often resort to cheating as a way to improve their grades.  this translates into low GPA ---> cheat and reverses the cause and effect relationship thus destroying the arguement

B. Some students with high grade point averages frequently cheat in order to obtain good grades.  the arguement permits this=see above high GPA = cheat

C. Not all students who cheat get caught.  being caught or not this is not required for the conclusion to remain valid

D. Some students on academic probation do not cheat.  again in line with the arguement low GPA=no cheat or high GPA=no cheat 
 
E. Students who cheat in school are also likely to engage in other dishonest behavior.  not good for them but this answer is out of scope.

Hatakekakashi · Answer

the argument concludes that students who cheat are likely to receive poor grades, even if they are not caught cheating and doesn't take into consideration that students who are placed in probation cheat and this is clearly mentioned in A

rest options don't attack the conclusion

(A) imo

Subhrajyoti · Answer

The main point of the argument is that student will fail even after cheating . Premise in jist is weak student tend to cheat.
Thus, the assumption is that irrespectinve students cheat or do not cheat weak students will fail anyways.

Since the question is a weakner than how A is the correct answer, it is just reinstating what the argument is stating

pulkit sareen · Answer

I think B should be the answer. I am not sure why A is correct and B is wrong. 
Please help.

GMATNinja   KarishmaB

KarishmaB · Answer

A correlation was found between "students on probation" and "cheating". It was found that students on probation cheat more than others. Now what is the cause and what is the effect is not known. Does probation cause them to cheat or does cheating cause them to get low grades (and hence probation). We are not given. 
But the conclusion claims that cheating causes low grades (and hence probation). What will weaken it? If we can say that no, it's the other way around. Probation causes cheating.

This is what option (A) tells us - that students on probation resort to cheating. So probation is the cause of cheating. So this weakens our conclusion.

(B) Some students with high grade point averages frequently cheat in order to obtain good grades.

We are given that students with low grades tend to cheat more. So it is certainly possible that some students with high grades cheat too. Just that cheating is more prevalent among students on probation (low grades). Our conclusion is trying to establish that cheating is likely to lead to poor grades. It is not establishing that everyone who cheats gets low grades. Hence this option is not contrary to our conclusion and in fact, does not impact our conclusion. Our conclusion focuses on "low grades" and "cheating" only.

gauravjain0211 · Answer

B is not correct cause high grades of SOME cheating students still doesn't disqualify the LIKELIHOOD of poor grades in cheaters.

kittle · Answer

Bunuel  - can you post official veritas answer to this question. many thanks in advance.

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A researcher studying the habits of business school students found tha

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