Events & Promotions
| Last visit was: 06 Sep 2026, 19:13 |
It is currently 06 Sep 2026, 19:13 |
|
|
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.
Sep 0712:01 AM PDT
-11:59 PM PDT
On the 7th, GMAT Club Tests will be Free! Including all the Quizzes, Questions, and Tests. 12 AM - 11:59 PM PDT- Sep 07
10:00 AM PDT
-11:00 AM PDT
A complete walkthrough of GMAT Club’s free 12-week GMAT study plan: what you study each week, how progress and goals are tracked, how the error log works, and how your practice unlocks paid tools at no cost. 
Sep 0201:00 PM EDT
-11:59 PM EDT
Take 30% off all study plans with code COURSEWORK - Expires on Monday 9/7
Sep 0410:00 AM EDT
-11:59 PM EDT
We’ve worked incredibly hard to build TTP into the best test prep experience possible, and it would mean a lot to us to win Newsweek’s 2026 Readers’ Choice Award for Best Test Prep. If TTP has helped you, we’d be incredibly grateful for your vote.
Sep 0609:30 AM EDT
-12:30 PM EST
Top scores are possible when you enroll in a powerful EA course, taught live online + 6 months access to TTP OnDemand video courses included! Perfect class schedule and easy course access for working professionals. Class starts Sundays Sept. 6, 2026.- Sep 09
07:00 AM PDT
-10:00 AM PDT
Meet AdComs and explore top Master’s programs - MiM, MiF, MSc, MSBA and more. - Application Fee Waivers - Free 1-Week of GMAT Club Tests: - Master's Application Toolkit - Grand Prize Giveaway - Sep 09
10:00 AM PDT
-11:00 AM PDT
Three MBA applications. Three rejections. No interview invites. A year later, Aman was admitted to Cambridge Judge, SMU, and IMD. In this episode of MBA Admit Stories, Aman shares how he rebuilt his MBA application... 
Sep 1507:00 PM EDT
-09:00 PM EST
Elite scores are possible when you enroll in a powerful GMAT course, taught live online + 6 months access to TTP OnDemand video courses included! Class starts Tues/Thurs Sept. 15, 2026 - Nov. 15, 2027, 7:00pm-9:00pm EST
Sep 2108:00 PM EDT
-10:00 PM EDT
Boost your GMAT score in less than one month in a live online class + 6 months access to TTP OnDemand video courses included! Class starts Mon, Tues, Wed, Thur, Fri Sept. 21, 2026 - Oct. 9, 2027, 7:00pm-10:00pm EST
20 May 2019, 07:36
Kudos
Bookmarks
E
Be sure to select an answer first to save it in the Error Log before revealing the correct answer (OA)!
Difficulty:
95%
(hard)
Question Stats:
34% (02:25) correct
66%
(02:28)
wrong
based on 1331
sessions
History
Date
Time
Result
Not Attempted Yet
Candy Inc. offers two health insurance plans to its employees. Under the fixed plan, each employee pays $100 per month towards his or her health insurance premium. Under the variable plan, each employee pays $110 per month towards his or her health insurance premium and is entitled to a rebate of $20 in any month he or she attends 10 or more fitness classes at the company gym. Data from the company gym show that over the last year each employee in the variable plan attended an average of 12 fitness classes per month while each employee in the fixed plan attended an average of 6 fitness classes per month. Company executives claim these results demonstrate that even modest financial incentives can motivate people to change their fitness behavior.
Which of the following, if true, most seriously undermines the executives’ reasoning?
(A) Last year, Candy Inc. gave all employees wearable fitness tracking devices, and studies have shown that wearing such devices encourages increased activity levels.
(B) Average healthcare costs per person were no lower for employees in the variable plan than for employees in the fixed plan.
(C) Jogging for 30 minutes results in greater cardiovascular fitness benefits than does attending a fitness class.
(D) Some employees in the variable plan did not attend enough classes each month to qualify for the rebate.
(E) Employees of Candy Inc. are allowed to select between the fixed and variable plans at the beginning of each year.
Which of the following, if true, most seriously undermines the executives’ reasoning?
(A) Last year, Candy Inc. gave all employees wearable fitness tracking devices, and studies have shown that wearing such devices encourages increased activity levels.
(B) Average healthcare costs per person were no lower for employees in the variable plan than for employees in the fixed plan.
(C) Jogging for 30 minutes results in greater cardiovascular fitness benefits than does attending a fitness class.
(D) Some employees in the variable plan did not attend enough classes each month to qualify for the rebate.
(E) Employees of Candy Inc. are allowed to select between the fixed and variable plans at the beginning of each year.
24 May 2019, 11:48
Kudos
Bookmarks
It was a very tricky question that left almost all of us ponder. Speaking of pondering, let's acknowledge the fact that this is a weaken question so we should focus on the conclusion of the argument, and I would suggest that when the prompt says "undermine the argument/reasoning" we need to go deeper than just weaken.
I am just giving my try, to help explain what I think and I am open for debate so that you can also scrutinise my reasoning.
Almost all correct answers in weaken questions rely on attacking the conclusion. So let's focus on the conclusion by companies executives, who states :
This is exactly what option E does. Let me reproduce it again :
Also, it may be the case that those who chose to go with variable plan ($110) were already involved in fitness activities (reverse causality of what is stated in the passage) and thus, financial incentive was just a cherry on the cake for them. Maybe these employees, who took up variable plan, were already motivated to take fitness seriously. This reasoning completely wrecks the executives claim of financial incentive.
I hope this helps.
Spread some love. I don't mind kudos!
I am just giving my try, to help explain what I think and I am open for debate so that you can also scrutinise my reasoning.
Almost all correct answers in weaken questions rely on attacking the conclusion. So let's focus on the conclusion by companies executives, who states :
Quote:
IMO, the executives fail to address all the possibilities that could be the reason for what the situation is in the company. The executives may have incomplete information or they rely on evidence (here, gym reports) as the only source of data and thus, the correct answer choice would introduce new possibilities.
This is exactly what option E does. Let me reproduce it again :
Quote:
This choice states that ALL the employees are allowed to select between the two plans available "at the beginning of each year" and this means that all of them have equal opportunity to select one plan, which they think would be better financially. Every employee knows about the financial incentive "at the beginning of each year" (there is a reason I am stating and underlining it twice) that the variable plan offers, but still some go with the fixed plan (maybe because they know they are too lazy to attend the fitness classes or for some other reason) and others go with the variable plan. So it would be incorrect to say that modest financial incentive motivated these employees to change their behaviour.
Also, it may be the case that those who chose to go with variable plan ($110) were already involved in fitness activities (reverse causality of what is stated in the passage) and thus, financial incentive was just a cherry on the cake for them. Maybe these employees, who took up variable plan, were already motivated to take fitness seriously. This reasoning completely wrecks the executives claim of financial incentive.
I hope this helps.
Spread some love. I don't mind kudos!
09 Jul 2019, 04:03
Kudos
Bookmarks
Skywalker18
Choice (E) says only when employees choose the variable program.
While the fact that they choose the variable program in advance tends to indicate that they plan to attend the classes long before they actually do so, the fact that they choose the plan long before attending the classes is not a clear indicator of their underlying motivation for choosing the variable plan.
In fact, it could very well be the case that they both choose the variable plan and attend the classes partly because of the small financial incentive offered.
So, choice (E) has no effect whatsoever on the strength of the support for the argument’s conclusion, and this question has no correct answer.
General Discussion
20 May 2019, 07:51
Kudos
Bookmarks
The official explanation provided is as follows:
The argument claims the financial incentives motivated people to change, but no information is provided about people’s prior fitness habits. At the beginning of the year, an employee who already attends a lot of fitness classes would likely choose the variable plan because he or she would save money by doing so. The argument observes a correlation between the variable plan and fitness behavior. The executives concluded that the incentives of the variable plan caused the behavior. This choice weakens the executives’ conclusion by suggesting the opposite causal model: existing fitness behaviors could have caused employees to choose the variable plan in the first place.
Isn't the assumption made that employees who choose the variable plan is based on existing fitness behaviours too far-fetched? GMATNinja
EDIT: Tagged GMATNinja
The argument claims the financial incentives motivated people to change, but no information is provided about people’s prior fitness habits. At the beginning of the year, an employee who already attends a lot of fitness classes would likely choose the variable plan because he or she would save money by doing so. The argument observes a correlation between the variable plan and fitness behavior. The executives concluded that the incentives of the variable plan caused the behavior. This choice weakens the executives’ conclusion by suggesting the opposite causal model: existing fitness behaviors could have caused employees to choose the variable plan in the first place.
Isn't the assumption made that employees who choose the variable plan is based on existing fitness behaviours too far-fetched? GMATNinja
EDIT: Tagged GMATNinja
