Despite the anti-virus protection program installed on its computers

Question

Despite the anti-virus protection program installed on its computers, SmartTech has received many complaints from consumers that their computers had become infected with viruses. In order to reduce the number of its computers vulnerable to viruses, the CEO of SmartTech Corp. has had the company's engineers install three different virus-blocking programs on each computer before shipping them to consumers. Nevertheless, customer reports of computer viruses have risen since the institution of this initiative.

Which of the following, if true, most helps to explain why acting on the CEO's plan failed to achieve her goal?

A. The installation of the three anti-virus programs has led to increased labor costs, taking away resources from other company departments.

B. When more than one anti-virus program is installed on a machine, the programs can become less effective.

C. Many consumers have found that it is more difficult to use a computer with three anti-virus programs than with one.

D. Corporations that are already vulnerable to hackers often use SmartTech's computers but have stopped doing so since the increased viruses.

E. SmartTech has lost approximately 25 percent of its clients as a result of its computers' vulnerability to viruses, though it regained a third of these with its recovery efforts.

This is a  CR Butler Question

Check the links to other Butler Projects:
 
  Data Sufficiency Butler  
  Problem Solving Butler  
  Reading Comprehension Butler

BongBideshini · Answer

A. The installation of the three anti-virus programs has led to increased labor costs, taking away resources from other company departments. 
It addresses labor costs and internal resources, which doesn't explain the technical failure of the software to prevent viruses.
 
 B. When more than one anti-virus program is installed on a machine, the programs can become less effective. 
If multiple anti-virus programs conflict with one another and reduce the overall effectiveness of the machine's defenses, the computers would become more vulnerable to virus attack.
 Correct 
 
C. Many consumers have found that it is more difficult to use a computer with three anti-virus programs than with one. 
This choice highlights a usability issue, but difficulty of use does not inherently cause a computer to catch more viruses.
 
 D. Corporations that are already vulnerable to hackers often use SmartTech's computers but have stopped doing so since the increased viruses. 
It explains customer behavior, which doesn't account for why the remaining users are experiencing a higher rate of viruses.
 
 E. SmartTech has lost approximately 25 percent of its clients as a result of its computers' vulnerability to viruses, though it regained a third of these with its recovery efforts 
Historical data on client loss and recovery is irrelevant to the technical cause of the increased virus infections.
 Ans B

Vivek1707 · Answer

Core logic:  The correct answer must explain  how  implementing the CEO's solution could  backfire  and produce the  very opposite  of the intended  effect . Only B provides that causal mechanism.

A.  Explains increased costs, not why  virus complaints increased . Eliminate
 B.  If multiple antivirus programs interfere with each other, the CEO's solution actually makes computers  more vulnerable , explaining the opposite result.  Correct 
 C.  Explains reduced usability, not the rise in  virus infections . Eliminate
 D.  Discusses changes in the customer base, but doesn't explain why  more shipped computers became infected.  Eliminate
 E.  Explains lost customers, not why the antivirus initiative  failed to reduce viruses . Eliminate

Bunuel · Answer

Veritas Prep Official Explanation

Answer = (B). If one is good, are three necessarily better? Not if the three interact to hinder one another! In this scenario, computers with three anti-virus programs are getting more viruses than computers with just one virus. There could be many explanations for this: maybe one anti-virus program views another as a virus and disables it; maybe their activation is impossible when other programs are detected. In any case, the addition of these programs seems to have increased the machines’ vulnerability to viruses; (B) explains this situation well.

While this initiative might have cost the company more (and probably did), (A), this isn’t a reason that three programs would be less effective than just one.

(C), even if it is true, is not relevant. Consumer use of the product is not linked, at least in this passage, to the acquisition of computer viruses, nor is their difficulty using the computers linked to the machine’s vulnerability.

If vulnerable corporations stopped using the machines (D), it would make sense for fewer, not more, viruses to infect these computers, as some of the most open targets would have been removed from the field.

Finally, SmartTech’s customer retention rate (E) doesn’t have anything to do with how vulnerable, or invulnerable, its computers are to viruses.

Despite the anti-virus protection program installed on its computers

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

­Despite the anti-virus protection program installed on its computers

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

Despite the anti-virus protection program installed on its computers