Last visit was: 19 Nov 2025, 16:06 It is currently 19 Nov 2025, 16:06
Home
GMAT
Messages
Tests
Schools
Events
Rewards
Chat
My Profile
Close
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

we will pick new questions that match your level based on your Timer History

Track
Your Progress

every week, we’ll send you an estimated GMAT score based on your performance

Practice
Pays

we will pick new questions that match your level based on your Timer History
Not interested in getting valuable practice questions and articles delivered to your email? No problem, unsubscribe here.
Go to My Error Log Learn more
Close
Request Expert Reply
Confirm Cancel
Back to Forum
Create Topic
705-805 Level|   Weaken|      
User avatar
mbassmbass04
User avatar
Joined: 25 Aug 2004
Last visit: 24 Nov 2005
Posts: 104
Own Kudos:
131
 [11]
Location: MONTREAL
Posts: 104
Kudos: 131
 [11]
According to a 1980 survey, ten percent of all United States 15 Dec 2004, 13:45
2
Kudos
Add Kudos
9
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
00:00
Start Timer
Pause Timer
Resume Timer
Show Answer
Hide
Show
History
B
Be sure to select an answer first to save it in the Error Log before revealing the correct answer (OA)!

Difficulty:

85% (hard)

Question Stats:

47% (01:56) correct 53% (02:04) wrong based on 194 sessions

History

Date
Time
Result
Not Attempted Yet
According to a 1980 survey, ten percent of all United States citizens over the age of sixteen are functionally illiterate. Therefore, if the projection that there will be 250 million United States citizens over sixteen in the year 2000 is correct, we project that 25 million of these citizens will be functionally illiterate.

Which of the following, if true, would most weaken the conclusion drawn by the author of the passage above?

(A) The percentage of high school graduates who do not go on to college has grown steadily over the past two decades.
(B) From 1975 to 1980 there was a three-percent decrease in the rate of functional illiteracy among United States citizens over the age of sixteen.
(C) Many United States citizens included in the 1980 survey would be also included in a survey conducted in the year 2000
(D) Surveys that are improperly designed usually provide inaccurate results.
(E) In 1980 sixty-five percent of all United States citizens were over the age of sixteen.
ShowHide Answer
Official Answer
B
User avatar
jainu
User avatar
Joined: 21 Aug 2008
Last visit: 20 Jun 2010
Posts: 65
Own Kudos:
246
Posts: 65
Kudos: 246
According to a 1980 survey, ten percent of all United States 21 Mar 2009, 04:18
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
B it is...
I eliminated it to A and B. Now A actually carries no signficance because it does not weaken the conclusion because it does not talk about the specific age group(above sixteen). Hence B...
User avatar
priyankurml
User avatar
Joined: 25 Oct 2006
Last visit: 30 Jun 2012
Posts: 342
Own Kudos:
2,629
Given Kudos: 6
Posts: 342
Kudos: 2,629
According to a 1980 survey, ten percent of all United States 27 Mar 2009, 06:13
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
IMO B.

if the pattern does not follow, conclusion will not perpetuate from pattern.
User avatar
IanStewart
User avatar
GMAT Tutor
Joined: 24 Jun 2008
Last visit: 18 Nov 2025
Posts: 4,145
Own Kudos:
10,989
Given Kudos: 99
Expert
Expert reply
Posts: 4,145
Kudos: 10,989
According to a 1980 survey, ten percent of all United States 27 Mar 2009, 09:11
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
Yes, certainly should be B here. We can see from B that illiteracy has already been trending downward leading up to 1980; this suggests that the illiteracy rate is not constant, and that there is no reason to expect a 10% illiteracy rate in twenty years.
User avatar
icandy
User avatar
Joined: 05 Jul 2008
Last visit: 15 Apr 2011
Posts: 621
Own Kudos:
2,157
Given Kudos: 1
Posts: 621
Kudos: 2,157
According to a 1980 survey, ten percent of all United States 27 Mar 2009, 15:22
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
IanStewart
Yes, certainly should be B here. We can see from B that illiteracy has already been trending downward leading up to 1980; this suggests that the illiteracy rate is not constant, and that there is no reason to expect a 10% illiteracy rate in twenty years.
Show more

While I agree that other choices do no make sense, this one needs us to estimate what happens in 20 years based on last 5 years. Even if the downward trend is true (as said in the gmat Q's) it does not necessarily mean that the trend in the 20 years will NOT remain constant. Who know? huh?
User avatar
IanStewart
User avatar
GMAT Tutor
Joined: 24 Jun 2008
Last visit: 18 Nov 2025
Posts: 4,145
Own Kudos:
10,989
Given Kudos: 99
Expert
Expert reply
Posts: 4,145
Kudos: 10,989
According to a 1980 survey, ten percent of all United States 27 Mar 2009, 15:57
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
icandy
IanStewart
Yes, certainly should be B here. We can see from B that illiteracy has already been trending downward leading up to 1980; this suggests that the illiteracy rate is not constant, and that there is no reason to expect a 10% illiteracy rate in twenty years.

While I agree that other choices do no make sense, this one needs us to estimate what happens in 20 years based on last 5 years. Even if the downward trend is true (as said in the gmat Q's) it does not necessarily mean that the trend in the 20 years will NOT remain constant. Who know? huh?
Show more

Bear in mind that we only need to weaken the conclusion - that is, cast some doubt on its validity. We don't need to do anything nearly as strong as disproving the argument. If the literacy rate hasn't been constant over the last five years, then it's reasonable to think that the rate could be quite different in twenty years. The projection in the argument assumes a constant literacy rate; if the literacy rate is not constant, the projection isn't likely to be correct. As you say, there's no way to be sure what the literacy rate will be in twenty years - the 25 million may turn out to be correct after all - but we have more reason to doubt that if we know that B is true.
User avatar
VerbalBot
User avatar
Non-Human User
Joined: 01 Oct 2013
Last visit: 04 Jan 2021
Posts: 18,830
Own Kudos:
986
Posts: 18,830
Kudos: 986
According to a 1980 survey, ten percent of all United States 17 Sep 2025, 09:35
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
Hello from the GMAT Club VerbalBot!

Thanks to another GMAT Club member, I have just discovered this valuable topic, yet it had no discussion for over a year. I am now bumping it up - doing my job. I think you may find it valuable (esp those replies with Kudos).

Want to see all other topics I dig out? Follow me (click follow button on profile). You will receive a summary of all topics I bump in your profile area as well as via email.
Moderators:
GMATNinja
GMAT Club Verbal Expert
7443 posts
GMATNinjaTwo
GMAT Club Verbal Expert
231 posts
miag
189 posts