Parent: The city education department is unable to distinguish between

Question

Parent: The city education department is unable to distinguish between annoyances and important problems. For instance, prohibiting students from having cell phones is an overreaction. If a student uses one and thus interferes with instruction, confiscate it. All in all, we need educational leadership that can solve problems, not create them. Which of the following is an assumption made by the parent?

A) Students having cell phones does not constitute an important problem for the city schools.

B) Students have no need for cell phones in school.

C) Faculty and staff should be allowed to possess cell phones.

D) Students need to have cell phones because some of them have no stay-at-home parent.

E) An interest in solving problems is the most important attribute of an educational leader.

Main CR Qs link - Main link - https://gmatclub.com/forum/cr-qs-600-700 ... 31508.html

KarishmaB · Accepted Answer

Responding to a pm:

- The city education department is unable to distinguish between annoyances and important problems. 
- Prohibiting cell phones is an overreaction. If a student uses one and thus interferes with instruction, confiscate it. 
- All in all, we need educational leadership that can solve problems, not create them.

The entire argument is the author's opinion so we cannot split the argument into premises and conclusion. We are looking for the assumption made here.

A) Students having cell phones does not constitute an important problem for the city schools.

The author assumes that cell phones are annoyances and not important problems. He goes on to say that prohibiting cell phones is an overreaction (because cell phones are annoyances). Hence, this is an assumption.

B) Students have no need for cell phones in school.

The author seems to say that students should be allowed to keep cell phones. So he certainly doesn't believe that students do not need cell phones in school.

C) Faculty and staff should be allowed to possess cell phones.

There is no discussion on faculty and staff. Irrelevant.

D) Students need to have cell phones because some of them have no stay-at-home parent.

We might buy in to the first part of this sentence but the second part makes it completely wrong. The author does not assume any particular reason for students to possess cell phones. There is no way we can say that he thinks having cell phones is important because of no stay-at-home parents. Hence, there is no need to think about it further. Incorrect.

E) An interest in solving problems is the most important attribute of an educational leader.

The argument does not assume anything about what is the "most important" attribute of an educational leader. Irrelevant.

Answer (A)

Bunuel · Answer

OFFICIAL EXPLANATION

This argument concludes that the city needs educational leadership that can solve problems, not create them. It illustrates this claim by discussing the prohibition on cell phones. This prohibition is given as an example of the leadership creating problems where none exist. The necessary assumption is one that bridges the logic gap between the premise and the conclusion.

(A) CORRECT.  In order to use the issue of students having cells phones as an example of how the educational leadership creates problems where none exist, the author must assume that students having cell phones is not an important problem.

(B) The argument and its conclusion are not about students’ needs. They concern the quality of educational leadership. Thus, this choice is irrelevant; it is not necessary for the argument to assume anything about students’ needs.

(C) This choice is irrelevant; the argument does not concern faculty and staff cell phones, and thus no assumption about them is necessary. Assumptions must be both unstated and necessary to the conclusion.

(D) The argument and its conclusion are not about students’ needs. They concern the quality of educational leadership. Thus, this choice is irrelevant; it is not necessary for the argument to assume anything about students’ needs.

(E) The argument does not rank the various attributes of good educational leadership. It only discusses one quality. Thus, no assumption about the relative importance of attributes is necessary, and this choice is irrelevant.

chesstitans · Answer

I guess the argument structure is as followed:
1/ the first sentence is the main premise.
2/ prohibiting students from having cell phones is an overreaction (this gives more details for the premise)
3/ students use cell phone -> confiscate (example that supports the premise)
4/ need educational leadership that can solve problems, not create them. (conclusion)

Example is a key word b/c it is a transition word. Example indicates that more details are given for a premise.

zvazviri · Answer

Parent: The city education department is unable to distinguish between annoyances and
important problems. For instance, prohibiting students from having cell phones is an
overreaction. If a student uses one and thus interferes with instruction, confiscate it. All in
all, we need educational leadership that can solve problems, not create them.

Which of the following is an assumption made by the parent?

A) Students having cell phones does not constitute an important problem for the city schools.
b) Students have no need for cell phones in school. Actually weakens parent's argument. Incorrect
c) Faculty and staff should be allowed to possess cell phones. Irrelevant. Out of scope. We are concerned with students having cellphones
d) Students need to have cell phones because some of them have no stay-at-home parent. So what? Students having a cellphones could still be an important problem for schools
e) An interest in solving problems is the most important attribute of an educational leader. Irrelevant. Not a necessary assumption.

Conclusion: CED is unable to distinguish between annoyances and important problems
Premise: For instance, prohibiting students from having cell phones is an overreaction.

BY POE, A is the answer. Negate A to check; Students having cell phones does constitute an important problem for the city schools. If student having cell phones causes problems for the schools, then the argument falls apart.

Kudos if you like the answer

chesstitans · Answer

I see that you have used 2 important techniques in GMAT. They are POE and negation.
There is also another technique; A is correct b/c A directly links with the argument.

dhairya18 · Answer

CONCLUSION: The education department needs new leadership that solves problems instead of creating them through overreactions.

LINE OF REASONING:
Comparison: Total Ban = Overreaction to a Minor Annoyance
Cause-Effect: Individual Confiscation -> Solves Instruction Disruption without a Blanket Ban

CORE ASSUMPTION: The parent assumes that the mere presence or possession of cell phones by students is a minor annoyance 
rather than a severe, important problem.

ASSUMPTION APPROACH: Use the Negation Test. If we negate the correct choice, it must completely invalidate the parent's claim that the school board's ban is an overreaction.

OPTION ANALYSIS:
(A) Correct. This directly protects the category structure of the argument. If we negate this statement ("Students having cell phones DOES constitute an important problem"), then the total ban is a completely appropriate response to a major issue, not an overreaction. This shatters the parent's entire opening premise.
(B) Incorrect. If the parent assumed students have no need for phones, it would support the school board's decision to ban them, running counter to the parent's intent.
(C) Incorrect. Out of scope. The argument deals exclusively with regulations regarding students, not faculty members.
(D) Incorrect. While this offers a plausible reason for phone possession, the structural logic of the parent's argument does not depend on this specific parenting scenario.
(E) Incorrect. The option uses extreme language ("the most important attribute"). The parent claims problem-solving is a needed trait, but does not state it overrides every other leadership quality in existence.

Parent: The city education department is unable to distinguish between

Prep Toolkit

Top 5 GMAT Debrief Videos

615 to 715 in 15 Days (Ria's Strategies)

More than Quant/Verbal Abilities: Speed vs. Accuracy

745 with Only Self-Prep and GMAT Club

From 555 to 765: 210-point Improvement

Perfect 805 Score Debrief by Julia

My Rewards

GMAT Critical Reasoning (CR) Questions

Parent: The city education department is unable to distinguish between

Prep Toolkit

615 to 715 in 15 Days (Ria's Strategies)

More than Quant/Verbal Abilities: Speed vs. Accuracy

745 with Only Self-Prep and GMAT Club

From 555 to 765: 210-point Improvement

Perfect 805 Score Debrief by Julia

My Rewards