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Fast-food restaurants make up 45 percent of all restaurants in Cantari 11 Dec 2020, 07:53
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VeritasKarishma
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Hi VeritasKarishma - what if option B had "49 % of the older people eat at fast food restaurants more frequently than the average young person"

Would that weaken in your view ?

Initially I thought it would weaken but now I am thinking , even if the percentage is 49 % or 100 %, it may not go against the premise

""studies have shown that the older people get, the less likely they are to eat in fast-food restaurants"

because it quite possible that 49 % or 100 % of the elderly just frequent fast food restaurants and it's quite possible they just order a coffee (1 $ value) whereas the young may frequent less and order on average 15 $ worth of food perhaps

Thoughts on if (B) was 100 % or 49 % instead of 'Some" -- would that still not weaken or would that weaken ?

Thank you !

Thank you !

Given premise:
"studies have shown that the older people get, the less likely they are to eat in fast-food restaurants. "

So people at 40 yrs of age eat less frequently in fast food restaurants than do people at 20 yrs of age. Either a smaller fraction of 40 yr olds may be eating in these restaurants or all may be eating but less frequently than 20 yr olds.
Even if 100% 40 yr olds eat at fast food restaurants, they may be doing so only once a month while 20 yr olds may be eating there every week.

Option (B) says that "some" older people eat more frequently than do youngsters so they are giving "some" as the exception group to the rule that older people are less likely to eat. Had this been "all older people eat more frequently than do youngsters," that would make the premise false. So an option like that would be unacceptable.

The distinction is not between 'eat' and 'visit'. The argument as well as the option (B) talks about 'eat'.
Show more

Hi VeritasKarishma - Just one last follow-up

If "Some" Was 49 % in option B --it technically will not go against the premise [the premise says "studies have shown that the older people get, the less likely they are to eat in fast-food restaurant, so it could be a razor thin difference technically]

Option B tweaked) Studies have shown that 49 % of the older population eat more frequently than youngsters in fast food restaurants

Would this weaken the argument in your view ?

Why or why not ?
Thank you
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Fast-food restaurants make up 45 percent of all restaurants in Cantari 11 Dec 2020, 15:40
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There is no evidence to suggest that the inbound population will be any younger than the current population. What if a new retirement village opened up on the island? B or D feel equally specious as potential answers here.
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Fast-food restaurants make up 45 percent of all restaurants in Cantari 14 Dec 2020, 01:39
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jabhatta2
VeritasKarishma
jabhatta2


Hi VeritasKarishma - what if option B had "49 % of the older people eat at fast food restaurants more frequently than the average young person"

Would that weaken in your view ?

Initially I thought it would weaken but now I am thinking , even if the percentage is 49 % or 100 %, it may not go against the premise

""studies have shown that the older people get, the less likely they are to eat in fast-food restaurants"

because it quite possible that 49 % or 100 % of the elderly just frequent fast food restaurants and it's quite possible they just order a coffee (1 $ value) whereas the young may frequent less and order on average 15 $ worth of food perhaps

Thoughts on if (B) was 100 % or 49 % instead of 'Some" -- would that still not weaken or would that weaken ?

Thank you !

Thank you !

Given premise:
"studies have shown that the older people get, the less likely they are to eat in fast-food restaurants. "

So people at 40 yrs of age eat less frequently in fast food restaurants than do people at 20 yrs of age. Either a smaller fraction of 40 yr olds may be eating in these restaurants or all may be eating but less frequently than 20 yr olds.
Even if 100% 40 yr olds eat at fast food restaurants, they may be doing so only once a month while 20 yr olds may be eating there every week.

Option (B) says that "some" older people eat more frequently than do youngsters so they are giving "some" as the exception group to the rule that older people are less likely to eat. Had this been "all older people eat more frequently than do youngsters," that would make the premise false. So an option like that would be unacceptable.

The distinction is not between 'eat' and 'visit'. The argument as well as the option (B) talks about 'eat'.

Hi VeritasKarishma - Just one last follow-up

If "Some" Was 49 % in option B --it technically will not go against the premise [the premise says "studies have shown that the older people get, the less likely they are to eat in fast-food restaurant, so it could be a razor thin difference technically]

Option B tweaked) Studies have shown that 49 % of the older population eat more frequently than youngsters in fast food restaurants

Would this weaken the argument in your view ?

Why or why not ?
Thank you
Show more

While writing questions, enough thought is put behind not just the correct option, but the incorrect ones too, especially for CR questions. All that the option is trying to say is that there are some exceptions to the rule given. We should understand that that doesn't impact the rule. Giving a figure such as 49% would not make sense since we wouldn't know what the author is trying to say there since you cannot have a "rule" with 51% accuracy.
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Fast-food restaurants make up 45 percent of all restaurants in Cantari 16 Dec 2020, 21:51
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Justinseaman
There is no evidence to suggest that the inbound population will be any younger than the current population. What if a new retirement village opened up on the island? B or D feel equally specious as potential answers here.
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Quote:
(D) The overall population of Canatria is growing steadily.
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(D) does not require that the inbound population be younger than the current population. Even if the increase in Canatria’s population is the result of new retirement homes, older people will still eat at fast-food restaurants some. Because the overall pool of potential customers for Canatrian restaurants will be larger, they will be able to afford a smaller percentage of potential customers converting into actual customers.

Also, (D) makes it possible that the number of young customers remains constant and the number of old customers decreases. While this would lead to the average age of the Canatrian population rising, it would actually INCREASE the overall number of the restaurants’ customers. So (D) still weakens the argument that the number of fast-food restaurants is likely to decrease.

I hope that helps!
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Fast-food restaurants make up 45 percent of all restaurants in Cantari 11 Jan 2021, 00:07
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Why isn't A correct? What it suggests is that there is increased demand so it’s not necessarily the case that the number of restaurants will decrease.. After all, why would restaurants get bigger if fewer customers are coming in?

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Fast-food restaurants make up 45 percent of all restaurants in Cantari 20 Jan 2021, 21:36
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Why isn't A correct? What it suggests is that there is increased demand so it’s not necessarily the case that the number of restaurants will decrease.. After all, why would restaurants get bigger if fewer customers are coming in?

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(A) Fast-food restaurants in Canatria are getting bigger, so each one can serve more customers.
Show more
The problem with (A) is that we don’t actually know why fast-food restaurants want to serve more customers. It’s possible that, as you said, the restaurants are responding to an increase in demand. In that case, perhaps (A) would weaken the argument.

But an increase in restaurant capacity is not necessarily indicative of an increase in overall customer demand. It could be that the restaurants are simply increasing their capacity in anticipation of other fast-food restaurants closing. They may expect to serve more customers at their particular restaurant, even though overall demand is likely to decrease. If chains are serving more customers per restaurant and demand remains steady or decreases, then many restaurants will likely be forced to close.

All of this also is based on the assumption that the restaurants are right in their expectations. We can assume that (A) is true. But we can’t pretend to know why the restaurants do what they do, and we also can’t necessarily assume that the restaurants are right in their thinking. So, we really can’t conclude that (A) strengthens or weakens the argument. Eliminate (A).

I hope that helps!
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Fast-food restaurants make up 45 percent of all restaurants in Cantari 17 Mar 2021, 19:35
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Younger people eat in fastfood. Average age of current population is increasing - Number of fastfood restaurants will decrease

Possible weakener: As the current population ages, younger people are added to the population

A) Fast-food restaurants in Canatria are getting bigger, so each one can serve more customers. - Incorrect - Out of context. We are not bothered about the increase in capacity of fast food restaurants.

B) Some older people eat at fast-food restaurants more frequently than the average young person. - Incorrect - Irrelevant

C) Many people who rarely eat in fast-food restaurants nevertheless eat regularly in restaurants. - Incorrect - Strengthens

D) The overall population of Canatria is growing steadily. - Correct

E) As the population of Canatria gets older, more people are eating at home. - Incorrect - Supports the argument

Answer: D

I have a problem with D. Just because Canatria´s population increased, it doesn´t mean that the number of young people in Canatria will increase, since that same increase in the population could have been due to immigration for example, and we can´t say that immigrants are young.
Vyshak, it's true that choice (D) might not weaken the argument. We can think of scenarios, like the one you described, in which choice (D) would have no effect. But remember that we are looking for an answer choice that most seriously weakens the argument, not an answer choice that definitely weakens the argument.

The author says that the number of fast-food restaurants is likely to decrease because the average age is increasing. Thus, according to the author, the number of young people will probably decrease. Choice (D) seriously undermines this reasoning. If the overall population is growing steadily ("steadily" is a key word here), then that will probably counteract the effect of the aging.

Sure, we might have a steady influx of older immigrants, but if we are talking about steady growth of the overall population, it is more likely that we will see increases across all ages. Choice (D) does not disprove the author's logic with 100% certainty, but it does seriously weaken the argument.

I hope that helps!
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I am still a little hazy on this one GMATNinja. I am number guy, I get that if overall population increase, the whole demographic could grow proportionally. Thus, it could offset the number of old people intown and continue to have a steady number of fast food customer base. However, the "average" continues to grow as the problem stated. I thought this would overwrite any assumption *we thought* the author were making. In a way, I think the statement is trying to say there are way more old people and will continue to outweigh the young.
I probably do not make any sense here please correct me if I am wrong or assuming things. I am doing this assumption identification practice, and the one made in this excerpt: 1) no other possible factors would suddenly increase the demand on fast food 2) the overall age of the population will continue to grow old regardless of possible outside factors like migrations. I was ohonestly only looking at choices that resembles 1).
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Fast-food restaurants make up 45 percent of all restaurants in Cantari 27 Mar 2021, 10:45
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Younger people eat in fastfood. Average age of current population is increasing - Number of fastfood restaurants will decrease

Possible weakener: As the current population ages, younger people are added to the population

A) Fast-food restaurants in Canatria are getting bigger, so each one can serve more customers. - Incorrect - Out of context. We are not bothered about the increase in capacity of fast food restaurants.

B) Some older people eat at fast-food restaurants more frequently than the average young person. - Incorrect - Irrelevant

C) Many people who rarely eat in fast-food restaurants nevertheless eat regularly in restaurants. - Incorrect - Strengthens

D) The overall population of Canatria is growing steadily. - Correct

E) As the population of Canatria gets older, more people are eating at home. - Incorrect - Supports the argument

Answer: D

I have a problem with D. Just because Canatria´s population increased, it doesn´t mean that the number of young people in Canatria will increase, since that same increase in the population could have been due to immigration for example, and we can´t say that immigrants are young.
Vyshak, it's true that choice (D) might not weaken the argument. We can think of scenarios, like the one you described, in which choice (D) would have no effect. But remember that we are looking for an answer choice that most seriously weakens the argument, not an answer choice that definitely weakens the argument.

The author says that the number of fast-food restaurants is likely to decrease because the average age is increasing. Thus, according to the author, the number of young people will probably decrease. Choice (D) seriously undermines this reasoning. If the overall population is growing steadily ("steadily" is a key word here), then that will probably counteract the effect of the aging.

Sure, we might have a steady influx of older immigrants, but if we are talking about steady growth of the overall population, it is more likely that we will see increases across all ages. Choice (D) does not disprove the author's logic with 100% certainty, but it does seriously weaken the argument.

I hope that helps!

I am still a little hazy on this one GMATNinja. I am number guy, I get that if overall population increase, the whole demographic could grow proportionally. Thus, it could offset the number of old people intown and continue to have a steady number of fast food customer base. However, the "average" continues to grow as the problem stated. I thought this would overwrite any assumption *we thought* the author were making. In a way, I think the statement is trying to say there are way more old people and will continue to outweigh the young.
I probably do not make any sense here please correct me if I am wrong or assuming things. I am doing this assumption identification practice, and the one made in this excerpt: 1) no other possible factors would suddenly increase the demand on fast food 2) the overall age of the population will continue to grow old regardless of possible outside factors like migrations. I was ohonestly only looking at choices that resembles 1).
Show more
The average age and number of young people in Canatria can both increase.

For example, let’s say that Canatria currently has 200 young people and 400 old people. In ten years, it may have 300 young people and 800 old people. Old people would now make up a greater proportion of the population, and the average age of the town would increase.

But because the overall population has grown, there is actually a larger number of young people in the town and thus a larger base of customers for fast-food restaurants to attract. Therefore, it is unlikely that the number of fast-food restaurants will decrease, and (D) weakens the argument.

I hope that helps!
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Fast-food restaurants make up 45 percent of all restaurants in Cantari 01 May 2021, 19:14
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Dear Experts, please assist me here: Isn't Option B valid? Although it states that "Some" older people eat more frequently than the younger people, the statement still attacks the conclusion made by the author! Although option B says "Some", the option is still strong enough to arrest the decrease of the fast food restaurants
Quote:
B) Some older people eat at fast-food restaurants more frequently than the average young person.
Even if some older people eat at fast-food restaurants more frequently than the average young person, it wouldn't change the evidence on which the argument is based: "Customers at these restaurants tend to be young; in fact, studies have shown that the older people get, the less likely they are to eat in fast-food restaurants."

This evidence only suggests that older people are less likely to eat in fast-food restaurants and does not suggest that ALL older people eat at fast-food restaurants less frequently than the average young person. Statement (B) does not interfere with the author's argument and can be eliminated.

I hope that helps!
Show more

Hi Charles,
I'm still struggling with this one. I rejected "D" because
a.) it was questioning a premise that the average age of the town is increasing
b.) population increase can be from new birth or migration. You've explained the this one, and I get that.
I picked "A" as my answer because I thought of this stimulus as Cause (increase in average age) > Effect (decrease in number of restaurants) and "A" provides an alternate cause for the number of restaurant to come down.
Let me know; thanks!
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Fast-food restaurants make up 45 percent of all restaurants in Cantari 12 May 2021, 10:13
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Quote:
Dear Experts, please assist me here: Isn't Option B valid? Although it states that "Some" older people eat more frequently than the younger people, the statement still attacks the conclusion made by the author! Although option B says "Some", the option is still strong enough to arrest the decrease of the fast food restaurants
Quote:
B) Some older people eat at fast-food restaurants more frequently than the average young person.
Even if some older people eat at fast-food restaurants more frequently than the average young person, it wouldn't change the evidence on which the argument is based: "Customers at these restaurants tend to be young; in fact, studies have shown that the older people get, the less likely they are to eat in fast-food restaurants."

This evidence only suggests that older people are less likely to eat in fast-food restaurants and does not suggest that ALL older people eat at fast-food restaurants less frequently than the average young person. Statement (B) does not interfere with the author's argument and can be eliminated.

I hope that helps!

Hi Charles,
I'm still struggling with this one. I rejected "D" because
a.) it was questioning a premise that the average age of the town is increasing
b.) population increase can be from new birth or migration. You've explained the this one, and I get that.
I picked "A" as my answer because I thought of this stimulus as Cause (increase in average age) > Effect (decrease in number of restaurants) and "A" provides an alternate cause for the number of restaurant to come down.
Let me know; thanks!
Show more
The author's conclusion is that "the number of fast-food restaurants is likely to decrease." Our task is to weaken this conclusion.

(A), as you've pointed out, gives us another reason to believe that the number of these restaurants will decrease: if each one can serve more customers, then maybe Cantaria won't need so many fast-food restaurants.

Sure, this is a different reason then the one provided by the author -- but at the end of the day, it still strengthens the conclusion that the number of fast-food restaurants will decrease. So, we certainly can't say that it weakens the author's argument.

If the author had argued that the ONLY reason that the number of fast-food restaurants will decrease is because of the demographic information cited in the passage, then (A) WOULD weaken that argument. But the author doesn't specify that the aging population is the only explanation. He/she just argues that the number of restaurants will decrease. (A) provides another leg of support for this conclusion, so it doesn't weaken the argument.

I hope that helps!
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Fast-food restaurants make up 45 percent of all restaurants in Cantari 09 Aug 2022, 23:08
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The Story

Fast-food restaurants make up 45 percent of all restaurants in Cantaria. – Say there are 100 restaurants in all of Cantaria, 45 of those would be Fast-Food restaurants.

Customers at these restaurants tend to be young; in fact, studies have shown that the older people get, the less likely they are to eat in fast-food restaurants. – A typical customer at these Fast-Food restaurants is young. According to some studies, with age people tend to eat less often in Fast-Food restaurants. (Both these ideas are about general trends. There very well could be old people who eat at such restaurants. And there very well could be young people who do not.)

Since the average age of the Canatrian population is gradually rising and will continue to do so, the number of fast-food restaurants is likely to decrease.– The average age of Cantaria’s population is gradually increasing. This trend will continue.
Therefore, the number of Fast-Food restaurants is likely to decrease.


Gist:
The number of Fast-Food restaurants in Cantaria is likely to decrease (main point).
Because:
1. Fast-food restaurants are frequented more by young people than they are by old people.
2. With age, people tend to eat less in fast-food restaurants.
3. The average age of Cantaria’s population will keep on rising.


Gap(s) in logic:
Notice the wording: The number of Fast-food restaurants is likely to decrease.
The argument only gives us relative figures.
[*]% of Fast-food restaurants
[*]Average age trends.
To conclude about the number of restaurants based on these general trends is flawed.

    1. If the average age of the population is going up, that would mean that young people would constitute a smaller percentage of the population. But, it doesn’t necessarily mean that the number of young people would also be reducing. If the overall population is increasing, Cantaria could still have more young people even if as a percentage, they now make up of a smaller part.
    2. Even if, let’s say, the target consumers of fast-food restaurants decrease (or their revenues or profits decrease), there could be a trend that fast-food restaurants reduce the capacity per restaurant and increase more smaller kiosks and stalls, thereby still increasing the number of fast-food restaurants.


Framework:
We’re looking for an answer choice that would reduce our confidence in the main point that the number of fast-food restaurants is likely to decrease.
i.e., when I add the correct answer choice to the argument, I get a sense that perhaps the number of fast-food restaurants will not reduce.


Answer choice analysis


A. Fast-food restaurants in Canatria are getting bigger, so each one can serve more customers.
Incorrect. This one is going in the opposite direction. If each fast-food restaurant can serve more customers, I believe more than I did earlier that the number of fast-food restaurants will decrease. If each restaurant can serve more customers they will probably need fewer such restaurants. This answer choice strengthens the argument.

B. Some older people eat at fast-food restaurants more frequently than the average young person.
Incorrect. The argument deals with likelihoods and trends.
* Customers tend to be young.
* The older people get the less likely they are to eat in a fast-food restaurant.

So, there very well may be some older people who eat at fast-food restaurants more frequently than the average young person.
This piece of information does not change my belief in the argument.

Note: This answer choice is not indicating any trend. Nothing like:
* the average age of fast-food restaurant customers is going up
* or that older people are starting to eat at fast-food restaurant more frequently than before.

Let’s take an example:
Say Americans tend to be taller than Indians.
Does this statement mean that EVERY American is taller than the average Indian?
No, right? Some Indians could be taller than the average American.
Similarly, the given argument does not indicate that every older person eats at fast-food restaurants less frequently than the average young person. This option does not change my belief in any of the trends mentioned in the passage.
No impact.

C.Many people who rarely eat in fast-food restaurants nevertheless eat regularly in restaurants.
Incorrect. Irrelevant. What people do when they do not eat in fast-food restaurants doesn’t matter. This answer choice doesn’t help me understand anything about whether the number of fast-food restaurants will reduce.
No impact.

D. The overall population of Canatria is growing steadily.
Correct. Bingo! The argument was based on the fact that the average age of the population is rising (i.e. the proportion of young people in the population is decreasing). Now that I learn that the overall population is growing steadily, I’m thinking that in that case perhaps the number of young people will not go down in Cantaria, even if their proportion is decreasing. This answer choice is in line with the first gap mentioned above.

Note: This answer choice does not guarantee that the number of young people will increase. But that’s the beauty of ‘weaken’ questions. We’re not looking for an answer choice that makes the conclusion impossible. We’re looking for an answer choice that reduces our confidence. This one does that.

E. As the population of Canatria gets older, more people are eating at home.
Incorrect. This could be the reason for why ‘the older people get, the less likely they are to eat in fast-food restaurants’. We already knew that older people are less likely to eat in fast-food restaurants. Now we learn that perhaps they eat more of their meals at home. Beyond that, this answer choice doesn’t add anything to the argument.
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Fast-food restaurants make up 45 percent of all restaurants in Cantari 21 Jun 2024, 02:46
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GMATNinja

Quote:
Dear Experts, please assist me here: Isn't Option B valid? Although it states that "Some" older people eat more frequently than the younger people, the statement still attacks the conclusion made by the author! Although option B says "Some", the option is still strong enough to arrest the decrease of the fast food restaurants
Quote:
B) Some older people eat at fast-food restaurants more frequently than the average young person.
Even if some older people eat at fast-food restaurants more frequently than the average young person, it wouldn't change the evidence on which the argument is based: "Customers at these restaurants tend to be young; in fact, studies have shown that the older people get, the less likely they are to eat in fast-food restaurants."

This evidence only suggests that older people are less likely to eat in fast-food restaurants and does not suggest that ALL older people eat at fast-food restaurants less frequently than the average young person. Statement (B) does not interfere with the author's argument and can be eliminated.

I hope that helps!
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­
Ok , If the overall populations is growing wont it be true that people can be coming from different counties or cities etc . The option itself is a gap right ? I know B also doesnt specify how many older people eat at fast foods but "some" means at least one right ?. So how come B is incorrect 
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Fast-food restaurants make up 45 percent of all restaurants in Cantari 26 Jun 2024, 07:47
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rmahe11


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Dear Experts, please assist me here: Isn't Option B valid? Although it states that "Some" older people eat more frequently than the younger people, the statement still attacks the conclusion made by the author! Although option B says "Some", the option is still strong enough to arrest the decrease of the fast food restaurants

Quote:
B) Some older people eat at fast-food restaurants more frequently than the average young person.

Even if some older people eat at fast-food restaurants more frequently than the average young person, it wouldn't change the evidence on which the argument is based: "Customers at these restaurants tend to be young; in fact, studies have shown that the older people get, the less likely they are to eat in fast-food restaurants."

This evidence only suggests that older people are less likely to eat in fast-food restaurants and does not suggest that ALL older people eat at fast-food restaurants less frequently than the average young person. Statement (B) does not interfere with the author's argument and can be eliminated.

I hope that helps!

Ok , If the overall populations is growing wont it be true that people can be coming from different counties or cities etc . The option itself is a gap right ? I know B also doesnt specify how many older people eat at fast foods but "some" means at least one right ?. So how come B is incorrect

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­Not sure what you're asking about (D), but see if this post helps: https://gmatclub.com/forum/fast-food-re ... l#p2751175

As for (B), the passage tells us that "customers at these restaurants TEND to be young; in fact, studies have shown that the older people get, the LESS LIKELY they are to eat in fast-food restaurants." In other words, the argument is only concerned with the GENERAL trends.

Sure, there might be some older folks who crush the Cantaria In & Out Burger on a regular basis (mmm... burgers), but that doesn't conflict with anything in the argument. The author would agree that SOME older folks might eat more fast food than the average younger person. That does not change the fact that the fast food customers TEND to be young.

So even if (B) is a very mild weakener, it's something that's already implied by the argument itself -- so (B) doesn't do anything new to weaken the argument at all.

I hope that helps!
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Fast-food restaurants make up 45 percent of all restaurants in Cantari 24 Mar 2026, 20:02
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Fast-food restaurants make up 45 percent of all restaurants in Cantaria. Customers at these restaurants tend to be young; in fact, studies have shown that the older people get, the less likely they are to eat in fast-food restaurants. Since the average age of the Canatrian population is gradually rising and will continue to do so, the number of fast-food restaurants is likely to decrease.

Which of the following, if true, most seriously weakens the argument?

(A) Fast-food restaurants in Canatria are getting bigger, so each one can serve more customers.

(B) Some older people eat at fast-food restaurants more frequently than the average young person.

(C) Many people who rarely eat in fast-food restaurants nevertheless eat regularly in restaurants.

(D) The overall population of Canatria is growing steadily.

(E) As the population of Canatria gets older, more people are eating at home.
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Weaken

Conclusion: Since the average age of the Canatrian population is gradually rising and will continue to do so, the number of fast-food restaurants is likely to decrease.
To weaken we need to find something that customer base isn't gonna shrink, so number of fast-food restaurants not lilkely to decrease.

(A) Fast-food restaurants in Canatria are getting bigger, so each one can serve more customers.
This means, the restos will decrease, Strengthens. Eliminate.

(B) Some older people eat at fast-food restaurants more frequently than the average young person.
Some? Ok, but it is unlikely to impact the conclusion. Eliminate.

(C) Many people who rarely eat in fast-food restaurants nevertheless eat regularly in restaurants.
Doesn't matter, Eliminate.

(D) The overall population of Canatria is growing steadily.
This shows that even if avg age is rising the young people number could remain stable or increase as well, just that older folks numbers raising in a faster rate.

(E) As the population of Canatria gets older, more people are eating at home.
Cool, what impact on restos, less number? Strengthens. Eliminate.
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Fast-food restaurants make up 45 percent of all restaurants in Cantari 14 May 2026, 07:44
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Great question! Even if it's true that some older people eat at fast-food restaurants more than the average young person does, this doesn't affect the fact given in the argument that the older you get, the less fast food you eat. So in the future, as the population gets older, people will eat less fast-food -- even if there are some old people who still eat more fast food than all the teenagers.

If you want to think about it a bit more quantitatively, the argument is telling us that there's a distribution for young people and another distribution for old people and that the mean for old people is lower than the mean for young people. Answer choice (B) is telling us that the standard deviation for old people is high because there are some old people who eat more than the average young person (and therefore a whole lot more than the average old person). But if we're concerned with the total demand for fast-food, we only care about the mean for each distribution and how many people are in each group (because mean consumption will equal total consumption divided by n). The standard deviation doesn't matter.

I hope this helps!
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I disagree with this.

1) D is a very weak weakener because it's very vague. Increasing population can come from old immigrants, and your defense is that even if it happens, increase population will also include young people; a statement that has no basis and is a stretch because there are plenty of developed countries experience population growth with little increase of children due to high living cost. In fact it's becoming a norm increased population does not entail increase in young people population

2) B being disqualified through weak reasons. Your explanation says big SD is irrelevant because what we look for is the mean. Where does it say that? There are companies and industries that grow even with few customers, who spend a lot. Luxury, computer chips, etc.
Additionally, some can be a very big number as stated clinically speaking could be 99% of old people population. B is as wrong as you try to make D right
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Fast-food restaurants make up 45 percent of all restaurants in Cantari Updated on: 16 May 2026, 00:29
Originally posted by AbhishekP220108 on 16 May 2026, 00:29.
Last edited by AbhishekP220108 on 16 May 2026, 00:29, edited 1 time in total.
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Hi Wangcincay Let me try to help with this

Fast-food restaurants make up 45 percent of all restaurants in Cantaria. Customers at these restaurants tend to be young; in fact, studies have shown that the older people get, the less likely they are to eat in fast-food restaurants. Since the average age of the Canatrian population is gradually rising and will continue to do so, the number of fast-food restaurants is likely to decrease.

Author presented the Info about Fast food restaurants in Cantaria.
Lets say there are 100 restaurants out of this 45 are FFR.
Young people are customers of the FFR.
Studies was taken into consideration and it says that older the people get less likely they are to eat in FFR. Simply stating in comparison to young customers older people prefer less to eat at FFR
Also the avg age of Canatarian population is increasing, lets say earlier the avg age was 28 now it was 35 and it will keep on rising
Because of this increase in avg age, FFR no's are likely to decrease.

The author is assuming quite a few things here- 1. the distribution of 35 or increased avg will be same. 2. the young ones, many years back are now aging and thats why the avg is increasing and so no's of young is going to decrease and so the customers will be less for FFR and thats why there will be a decrease.

Which of the following, if true, most seriously weakens the argument?

We need to find a weakner that can make us doubt the conclusion; even if the avg age increases, the decrease in nos of FFR is not likely to happen. IF there will be a balance in young customers and older people, even though the avg age is increasing, something is causing the customer to be maintained at FFR

(B) Some older people eat at fast-food restaurants more frequently than the average young person.- It says some older people eat at FFR more frequently than the avg young person, even though this option we consider is not leading to a conclusion. What if these older ones are eating at selected FFR, then also a decrease is likely to happen.

(D) The overall population of Canatria is growing steadily.- It says that the overall population of Canataria is growing steadily; that means there might be an increase in the number of young people. So, among all the given options, this one is creating more doubt about the conclusion. We are not bothered about the perfect weakener, we just need to find an option that weakens the most in comparison to the other givens.

Also, I would like to add one point: GMAT never presents the question with any ambiguity, hence we have to respect the OG questions because they are worth practicing in comparison to any other source's questions

Hope this helps

Wangcincay

I disagree with this.

1) D is a very weak weakener because it's very vague. Increasing population can come from old immigrants, and your defense is that even if it happens, increase population will also include young people; a statement that has no basis and is a stretch because there are plenty of developed countries experience population growth with little increase of children due to high living cost. In fact it's becoming a norm increased population does not entail increase in young people population

2) B being disqualified through weak reasons. Your explanation says big SD is irrelevant because what we look for is the mean. Where does it say that? There are companies and industries that grow even with few customers, who spend a lot. Luxury, computer chips, etc.
Additionally, some can be a very big number as stated clinically speaking could be 99% of old people population. B is as wrong as you try to make D right
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