GMAT Club World Cup 2022 (DAY 9): The underground metro rail stations

What do we know? - The premise:
> The underground metro rail stations of the city Kolta are known to be dirty.
> The commuters often do not throw away the trash in designated dustbins, but simply toss them on the station platforms.
> The new mayor of Kolta has planned to take up an intensive cleaning campaign lasting for four consecutive weeks for all the underground metro rail stations of Kolta.

What is the conclusion of the outgoing mayor? - The conclusion:
the outgoing mayor of the city does not believe that the four week intensive campaign would be effective in keeping the underground metro stations clean in the long run after the campaign ends.

Why does the outgoing mayor conclude this? - the assumption:
He believes that this is just a superficial activity and that the underlying behaviour will not change by just a short-term intensive cleaning process.

Keeping that in mind, let's head over to the options analysis now.



We are only concerned about the underground stations as of now because the proposal is for underground stations.



This is rather a strengthener to the outgoing mayor's conclusion because it suggests that even after the 4 week campaign, cleaning will be required regularly. That just goes to show that the campaign was not successful.



Okay, so what? This is irrelevant.



This shows a possible change in the attitude of the commuters after the campaign ends, hence is a good weakener to weaken the outgoing mayor's opinion.



We aren't concerned about the costs. Irrelevant.

Hence, option D is the correct answer.

A. The above-ground platforms of the metro rail stations are also dirty and there is no cleaning campaign planned for them.We are talking abt the underground metro .OUT
B. Regular cleaning schedule for the underground stations will be introduced by the new mayor after the four week campaign ends.Correct .this will keep the stations clean
C. The majority of people of Kolta who commute by metro rail stations did not vote for the new mayor.Out of scope .OUT
D. The commuters throw trash in undesignated areas only if there is already trash lying around in these undesignated areas.out of scope.OUT
E. The amount of trash accumulated on the metro station platforms is enormous, making the cleaning campaign costly.Out of scope .OUT

oa:B

issue at hand : The underground metro rail stations of the city Kolta are known to be dirty. The commuters often do not throw away the trash in designated dustbins, but simply toss them on the station platforms

Incoming mayor plan : to take up an intensive cleaning campaign lasting for four consecutive weeks for all the underground metro rail stations of Kolta

Outgoing mayor claim : does not believe that the four week intensive campaign would be effective in keeping the underground metro stations clean in the long run after the campaign ends.

need to weaken the out going mayor claim :

A. The above-ground platforms of the metro rail stations are also dirty and there is no cleaning campaign planned for them. irrelevant
B. Regular cleaning schedule for the underground stations will be introduced by the new mayor after the four week campaign ends. this weakens the out going mayor claim ; correct option
C. The majority of people of Kolta who commute by metro rail stations did not vote for the new mayor. irrelevant
D. The commuters throw trash in undesignated areas only if there is already trash lying around in these undesignated areas. this is what the issue is not helping the target of question
E. The amount of trash accumulated on the metro station platforms is enormous, making the cleaning campaign costly. irrelevant

OPTION B is correct

Statement which suggest that the cleaning campaign will be done at regular interval even after the 4 weeks of intensive campaign will definitely bring into question the belief of the outgoing mayor.

A. The above-ground platforms of the metro rail stations are also dirty and there is no cleaning campaign planned for them: Irrelevant. Reject
B. Regular cleaning schedule for the underground stations will be introduced by the new mayor after the four week campaign ends: Correct
C. The majority of people of Kolta who commute by metro rail stations did not vote for the new mayor: Irrelevant. Reject
D. The commuters throw trash in undesignated areas only if there is already trash lying around in these undesignated areas: If all the trash are removed, this will not happen. Not conclusive. Reject
E. The amount of trash accumulated on the metro station platforms is enormous, making the cleaning campaign costly
: Irrelevant. Reject

Opton B is the correct answer

IMO D


A. The above-ground platforms of the metro rail stations are also dirty and there is no cleaning campaign planned for them. - Doesn't matter we are talking about underground metro rail
B. Regular cleaning schedule for the underground stations will be introduced by the new mayor after the four week campaign ends. - ok so after 4 weeks intensive cleaning there will be one more plan. what's the new information?
C. The majority of people of Kolta who commute by metro rail stations did not vote for the new mayor. - This strengthens the outgoing mayor;s argument
D. The commuters throw trash in undesignated areas only if there is already trash lying around in these undesignated areas. - Exactly, so after the 4 weeks of intensive cleaning there will be no trash lying around and therefore commuters will not litter at undesignated places
E. The amount of trash accumulated on the metro station platforms is enormous, making the cleaning campaign costly. - ok irrelevant!

Correct answer : Choice D

Weaken the outgoing mayor's point

A. The above-ground platforms of the metro rail stations are also dirty and there is no cleaning campaign planned for them. - Wrong : strengthen's the outgoing mayor's point

B. Regular cleaning schedule for the underground stations will be introduced by the new mayor after the four week campaign ends. - Wrong : This is a close second for me. This argument still gives room for the fact that the outgoing mayor is right in the sense there will be new trash coming in and hence cleaning is required.

C. The majority of people of Kolta who commute by metro rail stations did not vote for the new mayor. - Wrong : Not relevant

D. The commuters throw trash in undesignated areas only if there is already trash lying around in these undesignated areas. - Correct : Ahh, that makes sense. If people dont throw trash once it is cleaned, then the outgoing mayor's point does not hold true. The "only" is the key word here

E. The amount of trash accumulated on the metro station platforms is enormous, making the cleaning campaign costly. - Wrong: not relevant

Answer is D
A. The above-ground platforms of the metro rail stations are also dirty and there is no cleaning campaign planned for them.
Irrelevant. we are talking about the under-ground
B. Regular cleaning schedule for the underground stations will be introduced by the new mayor after the four week campaign ends.
tempting. but D is better
C. The majority of people of Kolta who commute by metro rail stations did not vote for the new mayor.
Irrelevant
D. The commuters throw trash in undesignated areas only if there is already trash lying around in these undesignated areas.
Correct. If this is true, after the campaign people will not toss trash on the floor if they don't see trash lying around
E. The amount of trash accumulated on the metro station platforms is enormous, making the cleaning campaign costly.
campaign is on the way regardless of cost

Analysis: The commuters often do not throw away the trash in designated dustbins and toss them on the station platforms. The new mayor of Kolta has planned intensive cleaning campaign for 4 weeks.
The outgoing mayor believes that the cleanliness cannot sustain after the campaign ends.

To find a statement that most seriously bring into question the belief of the outgoing mayor - i.e., a weakening statement.

A. The above-ground platforms of the metro rail stations are also dirty and there is no cleaning campaign planned for them.
--> Incorrect: The status of above-ground platforms is out of scope of the argument.

B. Regular cleaning schedule for the underground stations will be introduced by the new mayor after the four week campaign ends.
--> Incorrect: Even with the regular cleaning schedule it is possible that the cleanliness is not as much as during the campaign.

C. The majority of people of Kolta who commute by metro rail stations did not vote for the new mayor.
--> Incorrect: This statement does not affect the argument, on a very high level analysis it could be supposed that it supports the argument, in a way, that people might not want to support the cleanliness campaign for new mayor.

D. The commuters throw trash in undesignated areas only if there is already trash lying around in these undesignated areas.
--> Correct: If after the cleanliness no trash is not lying in undesignated areas, then commuters will not throw trash and new Mayor's argument would fail.

E. The amount of trash accumulated on the metro station platforms is enormous, making the cleaning campaign costly.
--> Incorrect: Cost of the cleaning campaign is not relevant for the argument. On a high level it could be considered that the cleaning campaign itself fails because of this reason and new mayor is correct in his/her assumption.

The underground metro rail stations of the city Kolta are known to be dirty.
The commuters often do not throw away the trash in designated dustbins, but simply toss them on the station platforms.
The new mayor of Kolta has planned to take up an intensive cleaning campaign lasting for four consecutive weeks for all the underground metro rail stations of Kolta.
However the outgoing mayor of the city does not believe that the four week intensive campaign would be effective in keeping the underground metro stations clean in the long run after the campaign ends.

Which of the following statements most seriously bring into question the belief of the outgoing mayor?


We are NOT concerned with above-ground platforms. Irrelevant.
Incorrect


Regular cleaning schedule will help maintain cleanliness in the underground stations but commuters may still make them dirty again. Option D is better than option B.
Incorrect


We are NOT concerned with number of people voting for the mayors.
Incorrect


Since the cleaning campaign will thoroughly clean undesignated areas of underground stations, the commuters will not throw trash in undesignated areas and will NOT make them dirty again.
Correct


We are NOT concerned with amount of trash or cost of cleaning.
Incorrect

IMO D

The plan is targeted at underground metro stations and not above-ground platforms, so A is out.
B is close. But, regular cleaning schedule is altogether a different plan and not related to the success or failure of the intensive cleaning campaign. Hence, B is out.
Voting to new mayor is out of scope. Hence, C is out.
Cost is not a part of the plan. Hence, E is out.

If the only condition that commuters throw trash in undesignated areas is existing trash lying in those areas, the intensive cleaning campaign will be successful after all the trash is cleaned and thereafter, commuters won't throw trash in undesignated area. Hence, answer is D.

The correct answer is D and hereunder the explanation
The mayor thinks that after the four-weeks-cleaning is not sufficent to keep the stations clean.
We should look for something, that undermines this thinking, and that the four-week cleaning is sufficent

A. The above-ground platforms of the metro rail stations are also dirty and there is no cleaning campaign planned for them.
This is irrelevant, if The above-ground platforms of the metro rail stations are also dirty and there is no cleaning campaign planned for them, then this has nothing to do with keeping the stations clean, Wrogn answer
B. Regular cleaning schedule for the underground stations will be introduced by the new mayor after the four week campaign ends.
Regular cleaning schedule does not guarantee the stations to be kept clean, if the commuters pollute permanently, then the regular cleaning would be insufficient, this strenghten the conclusion of the mayor, Wrong answer choice
C. The majority of people of Kolta who commute by metro rail stations did not vote for the new mayor.
voting for the new mayor is completely irrelevant !, Wrong answer
D. The commuters throw trash in undesignated areas only if there is already trash lying around in these undesignated areas.
This is the correct answer. after the four-week cleaning campaign, people won't find any trash in an undesignated area, and then they will throw trash on their appropriate place, thus keeping the stations clean, and this undermines the mayor's conclusion
E. The amount of trash accumulated on the metro station platforms is enormous, making the cleaning campaign costly.
Thecost here is irrelevant, Wrong answer choice

Belief of the mayor : Does not believe that the four week intensive campaign would be effective in keeping the underground metro stations clean in the long run after the campaign ends.

We have to weaken the argument

A. The above-ground platforms of the metro rail stations are also dirty and there is no cleaning campaign planned for them.

Has no effect on the argument. First the argument is centered around "underground metro rail stations". Hence this option is not relevant.

B. Regular cleaning schedule for the underground stations will be introduced by the new mayor after the four week campaign ends.

While a compelling choice, we do not know that Regular cleaning schedule is sufficient to keep the the underground metro stations clean in the long run after the campaign ends. Hence would eliminate it.

C. The majority of people of Kolta who commute by metro rail stations did not vote for the new mayor.

Out of scope w.r.t conclusion

D. The commuters throw trash in undesignated areas only if there is already trash lying around in these undesignated areas.

This seems relevant, if people dont throw trash, then the underground metro stations is likely to remain clean in the long run after the campaign ends

E. The amount of trash accumulated on the metro station platforms is enormous, making the cleaning campaign costly.

Costing is not in scope

IMO D

ANSWER B

Which of the following statements most seriously bring into question the belief of the outgoing mayor?


The new mayor of Kolta has planned to take up an intensive cleaning campaign lasting for four consecutive weeks for all the underground metro rail stations of Kolta.

However the outgoing mayor of the city does not believe that the four week intensive campaign would be effective in keeping the underground metro stations clean in the long run after the campaign ends.

We should look for an argument that cover what isn't covered by the premise of the New mayor so that the outgoing mayor will not be right.
And what isn't covered is this "in the long run after the campaign ends"

We are then looking for something that explain why the campaign of the new mayor will be a success in the long run.


A. The above-ground platforms of the metro rail stations are also dirty and there is no cleaning campaign planned for them.
IRRELEVANT. The campaign is about underground.

B. Regular cleaning schedule for the underground stations will be introduced by the new mayor after the four week campaign ends.
THIS OUR WINNER. EXACTLY WHAT WE ARE LOOKING FOR.

C. The majority of people of Kolta who commute by metro rail stations did not vote for the new mayor.
IRRELEVANT

D. The commuters throw trash in undesignated areas only if there is already trash lying around in these undesignated areas.
IRRELEVANT
E. The amount of trash accumulated on the metro station platforms is enormous, making the cleaning campaign costly.
IRRELEVANT

Posted from my mobile device

I chose option B.

I assume the correct option will be option B or option D. Option B seems better than option D IMO.

Type: Weaken
Belief of Mayor: The four week intensive campaign would NOT be effective in keeping the underground metro stations clean in the long run after the campaign ends.

A. The above-ground platforms of the metro rail stations are also dirty and there is no cleaning campaign planned for them.
INCORRECT. Whether above-ground platforms of the metro rail stations are also dirty and whether there is cleaning campaign planned for them or not is irrelevant to the argument.

B. Regular cleaning schedule for the underground stations will be introduced by the new mayor after the four week campaign ends.
INCORRECT Going back to regular cleaning schedule after the intensive cleaning program could again lead to accumulation of trash in the metro stations as the commuters continue their usual habit. This supports the Mayor's belief and does not undermine it.

C. The majority of people of Kolta who commute by metro rail stations did not vote for the new mayor.
INCORRECT Whether the majority of people of Kolta who commute by metro rail stations voted for the new mayor is irrelevant to the argument.

D. The commuters throw trash in undesignated areas only if there is already trash lying around in these undesignated areas.
CORRECT If the intensive cleaning program gets rid of all accumulated trash lying around in undesignated areas of the metro stations and if commuters throw trash in undesignated areas only if there is already trash lying around in these undesignated areas, the mayor's belief that - "The four week intensive campaign would NOT be effective in keeping the underground metro stations clean in the long run after the campaign ends" - is weakened, because commuters will not litter at the same rate after the intensive cleaning program as they did before the program.

E. The amount of trash accumulated on the metro station platforms is enormous, making the cleaning campaign costly.
INCORRECT. The argument does not concern about the cost of the cleaning campaign.

The underground metro rail stations of the city Kolta are known to be dirty. The commuters often do not throw away the trash in designated dustbins, but simply toss them on the station platforms. The new mayor of Kolta has planned to take up an intensive cleaning campaign lasting for four consecutive weeks for all the underground metro rail stations of Kolta. However the outgoing mayor of the city does not believe that the four week intensive campaign would be effective in keeping the underground metro stations clean in the long run after the campaign ends.

Which of the following statements most seriously bring into question the belief of the outgoing mayor?

A. The above-ground platforms of the metro rail stations are also dirty and there is no cleaning campaign planned for them.
This is out of scope. There is no relation with the argument made by the outgoing mayor about the underground metro stations
B. Regular cleaning schedule for the underground stations will be introduced by the new mayor after the four week campaign ends.
if regular cleaning schedule is introduced then the commuters will again start to throw the trash in undesignated areas and the stations will be dirty again.This is more of a strengthener than a weakener
C. The majority of people of Kolta who commute by metro rail stations did not vote for the new mayor.
This is out of scope,as we are talking about cleaning of the underground metro stations
D. The commuters throw trash in undesignated areas only if there is already trash lying around in these undesignated areas.
This is the correct choice.If after intensive cleaning campaign there is no trash left in the undesignated areas then people will start using dustbins to throw the trash and the platforms will stay clean.This is a weakener
E. The amount of trash accumulated on the metro station platforms is enormous, making the cleaning campaign costly.
-This is out of scope as here we are talking about effectiveness of the campaign

Argument - New mayor has launched a campaign to clean the UG metro. Old mayor believes that this campaign will not keep the UG metro clean in long run.
There has been a jump from now (campaign to clean UG metro) to future (keep metro in long run) by old mayor.
We have to find an option which weakens the claim


A. The above-ground platforms of the metro rail stations are also dirty and there is no cleaning campaign planned for them. - Above-ground platform is OUT OF SCOPE - INCORRECT
B. Regular cleaning schedule for the underground stations will be introduced by the new mayor after the four week campaign ends. - what will be done later is a point of later consideration as Outgoing Mayor bases his conclusion on what is happening today (intensive four week cleaning) not what will happen after the campaign ends. - INCORRECT
C. The majority of people of Kolta who commute by metro rail stations did not vote for the new mayor. - Who voted for whom is not the concern. Even if true, this means that they may support old mayor by throwing trash to malign reputation of New Mayor. - INCORRECT
D. The commuters throw trash in undesignated areas only if there is already trash lying around in these undesignated areas. - Use of "only" indicates that if the metro is clean, no one else will throw trash and hence the metro will be clean even after the intensive cleaning drive -- CORRECT
E. The amount of trash accumulated on the metro station platforms is enormous, making the cleaning campaign costly. - Cost is not a consideration of the argument - OUT OF SCOPE - INCORRECT