Dear Friends,
Here is the detailed explanation to this question-
singh_amit19 wrote:
Guidebook writer: I have visited hotels throughout the country and have noticed that in those built before 1930 the quality of the original carpentry work is generally superior to that in hotels built afterward. Clearly carpenters working on hotels before 1930 typically worked with more skill, care, and effort than carpenters who have worked on hotels built subsequently.
Which of the following, if true, most seriously weakens the guidebook writer’s argument?
(A) The quality of original carpentry in hotels is generally far superior to the quality of original carpentry in other structures, such as houses and stores.
(B) Hotels built since 1930 can generally accommodate more guests than those built before 1930.
(C) The materials available to carpenters working before 1930 were not significantly different in quality from the materials available to carpenters working after 1930.
(D) The better the quality of original carpentry in a building, the less likely that building is to fall into disuse and be demolished.
(E) The average length of apprenticeship for carpenters has declined significantly since 1930.
Verbal Question of The Day: Day 157: Critical Reasoning
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RSSFor All QOTD Questions Click Here Mind-map: Pre-1930 hotels had better carpentry→ pre-1930s carpenters had more skill
Missing link: Between high quality pre-1930 hotel carpentry and conclusion that pre-1930 carpenters had more skill.
Expectation from the correct answer choice: To undermine link between high quality pre-1930 hotel carpentry and conclusion that pre-1930 carpenters had more skill.
Choice A: This answer choice is irrelevant, as it makes a comparison between the quality of carpentry in hotels and other structures such as houses and stores, without referring to the link between high quality pre-1930 hotel carpentry and the conclusion that pre-1930 carpenters had more skill at all; therefore, it is an incorrect answer choice.
Choice B: This answer choice fails to address the link between high quality pre-1930 hotel carpentry and the conclusion that pre-1930 hotel carpenters had more skill, as it remarks on the building style of post-1930 hotels alone, without making any reference to the quality of carpentry employed therein. Furthermore, the fact that hotels post-1930 are built to accommodate more guests has no bearing on the quality of the carpentry employed therein; both these paths of reasoning demonstrate that this answer choice does not fulfil the expectation from the correct answer choice, making it an incorrect answer choice.
Choice C: This answer choice establishes that carpenters working on hotels both before and after 1930 had access to building materials of similar quality; therefore, it becomes clear that differences in the quality of carpentry in hotels before and after 1930 cannot be attributed to a significant difference in the quality of materials used in the respective periods, thereby removing a possible alternative explanation for the observations made by the guidebook writer; it is, therefore, an incorrect answer choice.
Choice D: This answer choice states that if buildings employ higher quality carpentry while being built, they are likelier to maintain their utility into the present day; accordingly, pre-1930 hotels with lower quality carpentry are unlikely to survive into the present day, while those with higher quality carpentry are likelier to survive, thereby offering an alternative explanation for the increased presence of higher quality carpentry observed by the guidebook writer in pre-1930s hotels, as compared to a lack of such consistently high-quality carpentry in more recent hotels; one can reasonably conclude that more pre-1930s hotels have highly skilled carpentry work because hotels from the same period with lower quality carpentry probably fell into disuse; this undermines the direct link between high-quality pre-1930 hotel carpentry and the conclusion that pre-1930 carpenters worked on hotels more skilfully and is, therefore, the correct answer choice.
Choice E: This answer choice states that apprenticeship durations have decreased since the 1930s, implying that carpenters who have taken up the trade since have spent less time on training themselves than did their pre-1930s predecessors, leading to a decline in the general skill level amongst carpenters post-1930s; this argument is in accordance with the argument advanced by the guidebook writer as it strengthens the link between high quality pre-1930 hotel carpentry and the conclusion that pre-1930 carpenters had more skill, and is, therefore, an incorrect answer choice.
Hence, D is the best answer choice.To understand the concept of “Characteristics of a Weakening Statement on GMAT Critical Reasoning,” you may want to watch the following video (~3 minutes):
All the best!
Experts' Global Team