Financial success does not guarantee happiness. This claim is not mere

Question

Financial success does not guarantee happiness. This claim is not mere proverbial wisdom but a fact verified by statistics. In a recently concluded survey, only one-third of the respondents who claimed to have achieved financial success reported that they were happy.

Which one of the following, if true, most strongly supports the conclusion drawn from the survey results?

(A) The respondents who reported financial success were, for the most part, financially successful

(B) Financial success was once thought to be necessary for happiness but is no longer considered a prerequisite for happiness

(C) Many of the respondents who claimed not to have achieved financial success reported that they were happy five years ago

(D) Many of the respondents who failed to report financial success were in fact financially successful

(E) Most of the respondents who reported they were unhappy were in fact happy.

KarishmaB · Accepted Answer

Survey - only one-third of the respondents who claimed to have achieved financial success reported that they were happy

Conclusion: Financial success does not guarantee happiness.

As discussed number of times before, the most important point in CR questions is to understand the argument well. Look at what the survey found - 1/3 of respondents who  claimed to have fin success  reported happiness. 
But our conclusion says fin success does not guarantee happiness. It does not say that people who claim to have fin success needn't be happy. 
So even before you move on to the options, you should note this difference in wording.

Which option supports the conclusion:

(A) The respondents who reported financial success were, for the most part, financially successful

This option tells us that most of those who claim to be financially successful, actually are financially successful. Then the results of the survey are actually valid. This does support that financial success does not guarantee happiness.

(B) Financial success was once thought to be necessary for happiness but is no longer considered a prerequisite for happiness

Our conclusion says that fin success is not sufficient for happiness. Whether it is necessary for happiness or not, is irrelevant to our argument.

(C) Many of the respondents who claimed not to have achieved financial success reported that they were happy five years ago

Were they financially successful five years ago or not, we don't know. So this option is irrelevant. No need to evaluate.

(D) Many of the respondents who failed to report financial success were in fact financially successful

The survey does not care about those who did not report financial success. We are only told about the result of those who claimed to be financially successful. Our conclusion is then drawn from only that pool. Say there were 500 participants. 200 said they were financially successful. 65 of these 200 said they were happy. Are we bothered about the 300 who said they were not fin successful? No. The survey results do not talk about them. 
We don't now whether those who failed to report fin success reported being happy or not. Hence, this does not help establish our conclusion.

(E) Most of the respondents who reported they were unhappy were in fact happy.

This doesn't help our conclusion. If anything, it weakens it a tad.

Answer (A)

nakib77 · Answer

I got A.

A. is assuming that the other 2 third who did not claim to have achieved financial success are happy or they are actually not financially successful.
either way if those who claimed to be financially successful, are actually successful, then it strengthens the conclusion.
B. is totally out of scope
C. those who are not financially successful were happy 5 years ago, does help us resolve anything.
D. Is a trap. if most people who failed to report financial success are in fact suceessful, there will be a lot of happy people who are financially successful.
so it weakens the conclusion.
E. also weakens the conclusion

LogicGuru1 · Answer

Financial success does not guarantee happiness. This claim is not mere proverbial wisdom but a fact verified by statistics. In a recently concluded survey, only one-third of the respondents who claimed to have achieved financial success reported that they were happy. Which one of the following, if true, most strongly supports the conclusion drawn from the survey results? Background:- The old age proverb is you can't buy happiness. Meaning Money cannot buy happiness Premise 1) Financial Success does not guarantee happiness Premise 2) This is proved by statistical studies Conclusion) In a survey only one-third (33%) of the respondent who CLAIMED to have achieved financial success said they were happy. The conclusion is a very tricky one because it makes some test taker to think about the remaining two third 66% of people and this will make them to infer and assume things that are not explicitly mentioned in the argument. DON'T DO THAT. Remember we don't have to include them in our thought process. Since the argument draws conclusion about 33% of people so this is the subset that we will use to strengthen out conclusion. Now what if these 33% happy people were actually utter failures in their life or only moderately successful but due to some misguided sense of prosperity/richness they thought they were financially successful. --> Then it would mean that they were happy but not really financially successful. Then the argument will fall apart. We have remove any doubt about their financial success and by doing so we will show that they were indeed successful and indeed happy. What option does the trick OPTION A (A) The respondents who reported financial success were, for the most part, financially successful. Meaning they were really successful and also happy. (A) The respondents who reported financial success were, for the most part, financially successful. CORRECT (B) Financial success was once thought to be necessary for happiness but is no longer considered a prerequisite for happiness. WRONG :-D

EEP PHILOSOPHICAL INCORRECT ANSWER

IRRELEVANT (C) Many of the respondents who claimed not to have achieved financial success reported that they were happy five years ago. WRONG:- Not successfull right now ---> happy five years ago--> currently happy or unhappy ??? The option prompts that they are unhappy . argument is successfull ---> happy Option is Not successfull---> not happy Mistaken reversal. (D) Many of the respondents who failed to report financial success were in fact financially successful. WRONG:-Does not give us any idea about the sate of happiness of such participant and thus cannot be use to strengthen the conclusion. (E) Most of the respondents who reported they were unhappy were in fact happy. Wrong:- Does not give us the link between financial success and state of happiness/unhappiness of such participants. Cannot be used to strengthen the argument.

abhimahna · Answer

Although I have marked the answer as A and I completely agree that it validates the accuracy of the survey and hence strengthens the conclusion, I have a concern with your explanation here.

You said the conclusion is "In a survey only one-third (33%) of the respondent who CLAIMED to have achieved financial success said they were happy."

but don't you think the conclusion of the argument is "Financial success does not guarantee happiness.".

Survey given is only strengthening the conclusion. I understand that we have claimed and concluded words in the last line, but if we look from an overall argument perspective, the conclusion would be what I said above.

Please provide your thoughts here.

LogicGuru1 · Answer

As i have written earlier in my post 
 The conclusion is a very tricky one because it makes some test taker to think about the remaining two third 66% of people and this will make them to infer and assume things that are not explicitly mentioned in the argument. DON'T DO THAT. Remember we don't have to include them in our thought process. Since the argument draws conclusion about 33% of people so this is the subset that we will use to strengthen out conclusion.

The conclusion does not even touch the statistics or numbers or variety of people who are unhappy. If we start thinking about that group then we will have to go into the territory of inference and assumption. But thats not what the questions is asking. 
Its like (2 | 2 )= 4 now you can either use (2 * 2) = 4 or (2+2)= 4 Multiplication and addition would give the same result if there was no condition But if the question have a condition that you cannot use multiplication then 2*2 = 4 will become wrong and only 2 + 2 = 4 will be the valid answer. Similarly even though we can definitely make some inferences about the unhappy 2/3 rd people. But that is not the question is asking us to do. The question is about conclusion and not inferences or assumption.

Remember Conclusion will always be mentioned if the question is asking about strenghtening the conlusion. Inference is something that can be "derived" using one or more or some combination of premises. It is never stated or written explicitly in the argument. I NFERENCES by definition are secondary conclusion   that can also be derived by using the premises.
Here in this case a clear definite explicit conclusion is given to us. Anything else that deviates from the conclusion but satisfy the premises of the argument will most likely be an inference. So the 2/3rd people are not happy is an inference. 
Hope you get it now !

abrakadabra21 · Answer

I got your point.

But financial sucess doesnt gurantee happiness seems conclusion to me basesd on premises that present survey result. How come result of survey a conclusion. Ultimate goal is to arrive at the point whether financial success gurantee happiness or not.

Sent from my Moto G (4) using  GMAT Club Forum mobile app

LogicGuru1 · Answer

Going by the flow of the premises, I agree :- "financial success does not guarantee happiness" should/could have been the conclusion
But since the author of the argument has already given us a conclusion in a roundabout way and then asked us to strengthen it, we will have to accept his conclusion and the argument as a whole. Among the given option choices "A" does the strengthening and rest all are incorrect.

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Financial success does not guarantee happiness. This claim is not mere

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