India ranks fifth in the world production of coffee. Popular thought

Question

India ranks fifth in the world production of coffee. Popular thought has long associated India with tea and especially with masala chai, but clearly, we need to recognize India as one of the great coffee-drinking nations as well.

This argument is flawed primarily because the author

A. fails to distinguish between coffee production and coffee consumption

B. does not supply information about all beverages people drink in India

C. depends on popular thought rather than on documented research findings

D. does not specify the exact quantity of coffee produced by any nation

E. makes no references to the reputed health benefits of coffee

This is a  CR Butler Question

Check the links to other Butler Projects:

Data Sufficiency Butler  
  Problem Solving Butler  
  Reading Comprehension Butler  
  Data Insights Butler

ManifestDreamMBA · Answer

Just because India is producing coffee in large quantities doesn't mean they consume in large quantities too. may be most of it is exported for instance.

Answer A, it fails to distinguish between coffee production and coffee consumption

napolean92728 · Answer

The correct answer is  A. fails to distinguish between coffee production and coffee consumption .

Reasoning:
 
  A. fails to distinguish between coffee production and coffee consumption :
 
 This is the correct answer because the author conflates coffee production with coffee consumption. The passage talks about India's ranking in coffee production (fifth in the world), but the main argument about India being a great coffee-drinking nation is flawed because coffee production does not necessarily equate to coffee consumption. A country might produce a lot of coffee without being a major consumer of it. Therefore, the argument fails because it overlooks the distinction between the two.  
  
Why the other options are incorrect:
 
  B. does not supply information about all beverages people drink in India :
 
 This option is irrelevant because the author’s main argument is about coffee drinking, not comparing it to all other beverages consumed in India. The argument does not require such a comparison to make its point.  
 
  C. depends on popular thought rather than on documented research findings :
 
 While the author refers to “popular thought” about India's association with tea, this isn't the primary flaw of the argument. The core issue is the failure to differentiate between coffee production and consumption. Whether the idea is popular or researched doesn't change the fundamental mistake.  
 
  D. does not specify the exact quantity of coffee produced by any nation :
 
 This option is incorrect because the argument doesn’t rely on knowing the exact quantity of coffee produced. It only mentions India’s ranking, and the problem lies in mixing up production with consumption.  
 
  E. makes no references to the reputed health benefits of coffee :
 
 The health benefits of coffee are irrelevant to the argument. The flaw in the reasoning concerns production versus consumption, not the health benefits of coffee.

kingbucky · Answer

The argument states India ranks fifth in coffee production, traditionally linked to tea, but concludes it’s a great  coffee-drinking  nation.

Question:  This argument is flawed primarily because the author

(A) fails to distinguish between coffee production and coffee consumption  
   The argument uses India’s coffee production ranking to claim it’s a coffee-drinking nation , conflating production (evidence given) with consumption (conclusion). This gap makes the conclusion unsupported, as high production doesn’t ensure high consumption. Correct flaw.

(B) does not supply information about all beverages people drink in India  
  The argument focuses on coffee-drinking, not all beverages. Missing data on other beverages (e.g., tea, water) isn’t the primary flaw, as the conclusion specifically claims India excels in coffee consumption, which hinges on coffee data alone, not a beverage comparison.

(C) depends on popular thought rather than on documented research findings  
  The  argument mentions popular thought about tea but doesn’t rely on it for the conclusion . The flaw lies in the production-consumption leap, not the source of evidence (popular thought vs. research). Popular thought is background, not the core issue.

(D) does not specify the exact quantity of coffee produced by any nation  
  The argument uses India’s fifth ranking, not exact quantities, to make its point. The flaw isn’t about lacking precise production numbers but about assuming production implies consumption.  Quantities wouldn’t fix the logical gap.

(E) makes no references to the reputed health benefits of coffee  
  Health benefits are  irrelevant to the argument’s claim about coffee consumption . The flaw is the production-consumption disconnect, not a failure to discuss unrelated coffee attributes like health effects.

The primary flaw is the production-consumption conflation, making A the best choice.

Bunuel · Answer

Magoosh Official Explanation

India produces a lot of coffee, but this doesn't necessarily mean that India is drinking all that coffee.

(A) is the credited answer. Just because the nation of India produces a great deal of coffee doesn't necessarily mean that the people of India themselves consume a large amount of coffee. Many nations produce a lot of something and then export most of it.

(B) is minimally relevant. The piece of information conspicuously absent is how much coffee folks in India drink. How much of everything else they drink is only secondarily related.

(C) is wrong --- only the position the argument opposes --- India is associated "with tea and especially with masala chai" --- is based on popular thought. The statistic cited at the beginning, if true, has all the appearance of verifiable data, not mere opinion, and that is the true support on which the argument depends.

(D) is somewhat relevant --- certainly, knowing coffee consumption of India compared to other countries would be helpful, but this doesn't capture the logical flaw that the argument makes.

(E) is entirely irrelevant. How healthy coffee may or may not be has no bearing on whether it is a popular drink in India.

India ranks fifth in the world production of coffee. Popular thought

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

India ranks fifth in the world production of coffee. Popular thought

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