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Concerned about various forms of workplace harassment, a city attorney

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AndrewN

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16 Apr 2021, 13:50

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MPRS22

I don't agree with the OA. If cases of racial harassment goes up, these could be completely unrelated to workplace as far as we know.

I don't disagree with D, I just think A could work too

AndrewN

Stick to official questions

Yes, MPRS22. I got rid of what I thought were the worst answers first, and then I did something I almost never do: I paused the timer and simply looked at what was supposed to be the correct answer. Nothing made sense to me. In short, I echo the sentiments of IanStewart above. After reading the other posts, I would agree that (D) is the best of the five answers presented, but yeah, it takes some major liberties to work. Taking on this question is like choosing one lemon over four others—you will be left with a sour taste in your mouth no matter what. "Stick to official questions." Wise words.

- Andrew

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25 Apr 2021, 23:24

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I think this is not a good question. None of the answers focus on weakening the argument. Even option D, supports the premise of increasing number of complaints, the same may be as a result of the awareness created that the people are submitting false claims. Judging whether the complains are false or not is out of scope.

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27 Apr 2021, 17:48

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I guess everyone here has taken a very restricted view. From what I have read everyone has pointed out that the main purpose was to increase the complaints, however if these complaints are actually not valid or do not lead to persecution then that would mean that the complaints were false and hence not useful. Therefore, in my opinion the answer should be B as it clearly states that even though the number of complaints increased but the actual purpose to punish the offenders remains unfulfilled. Please help me understand where am I wrong here?

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12 Apr 2022, 12:31

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Hello,

Need some help here:

Conclusion:
The publicity campaign has therefore been successful, in that it has inspired more victims of workplace harassment to pursue their complaints.

This means author says campaigns have been successful. Why does he say so? Due to the campaign the victims (who already had complaints but did not pursue them) were encouraged to pursue their complaints.

Now Choice C:
Many individuals who have brought complaints within the past year were previously unaware that the behavior to which they had been subjected was regarded legally as harassment.

According to this choice C, the individuals did not even know that the behavior was categorized as workplace harassment. What the campaign did was to merely let them know that the behavior is categorized as harassment. Thus it points to a situation where increase may have happened due to the increased awareness (not due to increased confidence in pursuing the complaints).

Now I am aware that 'many' may not necessarily mean tripled. But still since we do not need a proof but a weakener, this statement seems to do the job.

Now Choice D:
The publicity campaign has emphasized the fact that there will be no legal reprisals or other negative consequences for complainants whose complaints are deemed false or invalid.

This just says that there will be no negative consequences for people who come up with a complaint. It does not say that many people turned up for complaining due to this. Assuming that some or even many people (so as to triple the number) came forward to complain because they thought even if they lie they won't be negatively impacted, is kind of a stretch.

This is why I rejected Choice D. Choice C is closer and weakens the conclusion. Choice D just points at an option that people have, but does not say the people actually turned up to report bogus complaints.

Could someone please explain where I am going wrong?

Regards,

arbazfatmi1994

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25 Aug 2023, 06:47

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Too many assumptions are needed to solve this. It's a poorly written question

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21 Sep 2023, 11:22

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Orange08

Concerned about various forms of workplace harassment, a city attorney’s office instituted a publicity campaign last year encouraging victims of such harassment to come forward and file reports of the harassment. During the year following the inception of the publicity campaign, the frequency of harassment reports filed with the city attorney’s office tripled. The publicity campaign has therefore been successful, in that it has inspired more victims of workplace harassment to pursue their complaints.

Which of the following most seriously weakens the conclusion of the passage above?

A. The increase in harassment complaints has consisted almost exclusively of additional complaints of racial harassment; complaints of other varieties of harassment have not increased significantly.

B. Although the number of complaints has tripled, the number of complaints that have resulted in successful prosecutions or civil penalties for the harassers has not increased significantly.

C. Many individuals who have brought complaints within the past year were previously unaware that the behavior to which they had been subjected was regarded legally as harassment.

D. The publicity campaign has emphasized the fact that there will be no legal reprisals or other negative consequences for complainants whose complaints are deemed false or invalid.

E. The city attorney’s office originally instituted the campaign in response to falling numbers of workplace harassment complaints.

We aren't concerned with specific types of harassment, the argument talks about harassment irrespective of the kind so A is out.
B is out of scope, the campaign was just about getting more and more people who have faced any harassment to come out and file their report. What happens after that is beyond the scope so B is out.
C is a strengthener so it's out.
D says people who file fake reports won't be punished so it means there's a possibility that the increased no. of reports might be due to more of fake ones than real ones and that weakens the conclusion.
E is irrelevant.
Hence D.

Hope it helps

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19 Aug 2024, 05:44

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C vs D explanation

Why C Might Seem to Weaken the Conclusion:
This suggests that the increase in reports might be due to increased awareness of what constitutes harassment rather than the campaign itself encouraging victims to come forward.
Why C Doesn't Weaken the Conclusion as Strongly:
The campaign's purpose was likely to raise awareness and encourage more people to report harassment. If people are now more aware that they were victims of harassment and are reporting it, this still aligns with the campaign's goal. The increase in complaints could still be seen as a success of the campaign, as it might have played a role in educating people and making them aware that they were victims.
Why D More Directly Weakens the Conclusion:
(D) suggests that the campaign's increase in complaints may not reflect genuine cases of harassment but could include many complaints that are not valid. This means the tripling of reports might not be an accurate measure of the campaign's success in bringing forward genuine victims. The option implies that the increase in reports might be inflated due to the reassurance that there would be no negative consequences for complainants, even if their complaints were false or invalid.
In summary, (C) offers a reason for the increase in reports that is still consistent with the campaign's goals, while (D) suggests that the increase might not represent actual harassment cases, which more directly challenges the claim that the campaign was successful in encouraging real victims to come forward. Therefore, (D) more seriously weakens the conclusion.

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08 Jul 2025, 11:38

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**Argument Analysis:**

* **Action Taken:** City attorney's office launched a publicity campaign encouraging victims of workplace harassment to report.
* **Observed Result:** Frequency of harassment reports *tripled* in the year following the campaign.
* **Conclusion:** The publicity campaign was **successful** because it **inspired more victims to pursue complaints.**

The core assumption is that the tripling of reports is due to **victims being inspired to *come forward* and *pursue their complaints*** as a direct result of the campaign. We are looking for something that weakens this link, by providing an alternative explanation for the increased reports, or by showing the "success" is not as the conclusion defines it.

Let's evaluate the new options:

**C. Many individuals who have brought complaints within the past year were previously unaware that the behavior to which they had been subjected was regarded legally as harassment.**

* **Analysis:** This statement suggests that the publicity campaign might have served an educational purpose. By making individuals aware that certain behaviors *are indeed* legally harassment, it could lead them to file reports that they wouldn't have filed before.
* **Does it weaken the conclusion ("inspired more victims... to pursue their complaints")?**
* This actually **strengthens** the conclusion, or at least aligns with it. If people were previously unaware that *their experiences counted as harassment*, and the campaign made them aware, then the campaign *did* "inspire" them (through knowledge and clarification) to "pursue their complaints." They now understand they *have* a valid complaint they can pursue.
* This is a way the campaign could be successful in getting more victims to come forward. It doesn't offer an alternative explanation *that undermines* the idea of "inspired victims."

**D. The publicity campaign has emphasized the fact that there will be no legal reprisals or other negative consequences for complainants whose complaints are deemed false or invalid.**

* **Analysis:** This statement points to a specific aspect of the campaign: reassuring potential complainants that there's no downside to reporting, even if the complaint doesn't pan out.
* **Does it weaken the conclusion ("inspired more victims... to pursue their complaints")?**
* This statement **weakens** the conclusion. If people are filing complaints because they are guaranteed "no negative consequences" even if the complaint is false or invalid, it might encourage a broader range of reports, including those that are speculative, less certain, or even malicious.
* The "tripling of reports" might then be partly due to people filing complaints *without having been genuinely subjected to harassment*, or without strong evidence, simply because there's no risk.
* The conclusion states the campaign "inspired more *victims* of workplace harassment to pursue their complaints." If the increase is significantly due to *non-victims* or trivial complaints filed because of lack of reprisal, then the campaign's success in inspiring *victims* specifically is undermined. It shifts the reason for reporting from genuine inspiration/courage to a lack of perceived risk.

**Comparison and Conclusion:**

Between C and D:

* **C strengthens** because increased awareness of what constitutes harassment aligns perfectly with the campaign "inspiring" victims to report what they now understand to be reportable.
* **D weakens** because it suggests an alternative reason for the increase in reports: a reduction in perceived risk for *anyone* to file a report, potentially leading to reports from non-victims or those with weak/invalid claims, thus diluting the idea that the campaign specifically "inspired *victims*" to "pursue their complaints."

Therefore, **D most seriously weakens the conclusion of the passage.**

Thanks to AI.

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