Minorities were five times as likely as non-minorities to be : Critical Reasoning (CR)

nverma

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Re: Minorities were five times as likely as non-minorities to be [#permalink]

08 Jul 2010, 07:28

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conmisdosmanos wrote:

2. Minorities were five times as likely as non-minorities to be stopped by the police in 1992. Once stopped, however, they were no more likely to actually be arrested. The police have compounded the problem by loading information on these people into its permanent database, which is one of the first stops for investigating actual crimes. Innocent individuals become a permanent focus of the police because of their ethnic background.

Which of the following, if true, most strongly undermines the argument above?

(a) Policed stopped nine times more total people in 1992 than in previous years. >>> Doesn't discuss the issue of minority Vs. Non-minority
(b) Innocent people listed on the database are highly unlikely to be arrested for actual crimes.>>> Already discussed in the question and it also doesn't help the issue of "Innocent individuals become a permanent focus of the police because of their ethnic background."
(c) The database has been instrumental in the capture of several important criminals.>>> This fact doesn't permit to bother/not bother minorities/non-minorities..
(d) The minority population is much larger than the non-minority population.>>> Correct >>> In this case the minority actually becomes MAJORITY...and it's not partial to keep the records for majority..!!
(e) Not everyone stopped by police is entered into the database. >>> Doesn't discuss the issue of minority Vs. Non-minority

Conclusion is: The police have compounded the problem AND Innocent individuals become a permanent focus of the police because of their ethnic background.

it's D.

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Re: Minorities were five times as likely as non-minorities to be [#permalink]

21 May 2014, 01:03

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kamranjkhan wrote:

The minority population is much larger than the non-minority population.

If the minority population is much larger than the non-minority population, how can they still be considered minority?

You have to take the premises and given options to be true.

Also, some specific areas of a country could have a majority of some particular ethnic population (who are still considered minority in the country) and that's how the minority population could be larger than non-minority in that area.

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Re: Minorities were five times as likely as non-minorities to be [#permalink]

23 May 2014, 02:54

kamranjkhan wrote:

The minority population is much larger than the non-minority population.

If the minority population is much larger than the non-minority population, how can they still be considered minority?

I agree with you:
Then how come minorities are Minority, they should be majority not minority?Some one is saying that 3<10 then counter arguing 3 must be greater than 10.

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Re: Minorities were five times as likely as non-minorities to be [#permalink]

23 May 2014, 02:56

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VeritasPrepKarishma wrote:

kamranjkhan wrote:

The minority population is much larger than the non-minority population.

If the minority population is much larger than the non-minority population, how can they still be considered minority?

You have to take the premises and given options to be true.

Also, some specific areas of a country could have a majority of some particular ethnic population (who are still considered minority in the country) and that's how the minority population could be larger than non-minority in that area.

Karishma I dont think so that this is a very Good question. I guess the question is not properly constructed and in GMAT there WILL BE NO question which can be open to interpretation.

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Re: Minorities were five times as likely as non-minorities to be [#permalink]

23 May 2014, 03:21

(a) Policed stopped nine times more total people in 1992 than in previous years. - Out of scope
(b) Innocent people listed on the database are highly unlikely to be arrested for actual crimes. - The argument talks about the probing the database list of people for investigation and not for arrest - Out of scope
(c) The database has been instrumental in the capture of several important criminals. - Out of scope
(d) The minority population is much larger than the non-minority population. - Correct.
More number of people, so more number of people are stopped. - Weakens the argument
(e) Not everyone stopped by police is entered into the database. - Doesn't weaken if it is found that all of the minority population details are entered but non-minority people's details are not entered - In fact this case strengthens it. - Incorrect

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Re: Minorities were five times as likely as non-minorities to be [#permalink]

25 May 2014, 21:42

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honchos wrote:

VeritasPrepKarishma wrote:

You have to take the premises and given options to be true.

Also, some specific areas of a country could have a majority of some particular ethnic population (who are still considered minority in the country) and that's how the minority population could be larger than non-minority in that area.

Karishma I dont think so that this is a very Good question. I guess the question is not properly constructed and in GMAT there WILL BE NO question which can be open to interpretation.

I don't necessarily have any problems with the argument. It could easily be talking about a particular region/state where "minorities" form better part of the population. They would still be called minorities since they might be a small part of the total population of the country but in a particular state, they could easily be a bigger part of the population. So it is not an unrealistic situation.

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Re: Minorities were five times as likely as non-minorities to be [#permalink]

27 May 2014, 06:37

kinjiGC wrote:

(a) Policed stopped nine times more total people in 1992 than in previous years. - Out of scope
(b) Innocent people listed on the database are highly unlikely to be arrested for actual crimes. - The argument talks about the probing the database list of people for investigation and not for arrest - Out of scope
(c) The database has been instrumental in the capture of several important criminals. - Out of scope
(d) The minority population is much larger than the non-minority population. - Correct.
More number of people, so more number of people are stopped. - Weakens the argument
(e) Not everyone stopped by police is entered into the database. - Doesn't weaken if it is found that all of the minority population details are entered but non-minority people's details are not entered - In fact this case strengthens it. - Incorrect

Hi,

I am unable to decipher this one.

(d) The minority population is much larger than the non-minority population. - Correct.
More number of people, so more number of people are stopped. - Weakens the argument
- So what it to do with the conclusion of the argument?

Can u brief on this?

Thanks in Advance,
Swami

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kinjiGC

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Re: Minorities were five times as likely as non-minorities to be [#permalink]

27 May 2014, 07:37

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rrsnathan wrote:

kinjiGC wrote:

(a) Policed stopped nine times more total people in 1992 than in previous years. - Out of scope
(b) Innocent people listed on the database are highly unlikely to be arrested for actual crimes. - The argument talks about the probing the database list of people for investigation and not for arrest - Out of scope
(c) The database has been instrumental in the capture of several important criminals. - Out of scope
(d) The minority population is much larger than the non-minority population. - Correct.
More number of people, so more number of people are stopped. - Weakens the argument
(e) Not everyone stopped by police is entered into the database. - Doesn't weaken if it is found that all of the minority population details are entered but non-minority people's details are not entered - In fact this case strengthens it. - Incorrect

Hi,

I am unable to decipher this one.

(d) The minority population is much larger than the non-minority population. - Correct.
More number of people, so more number of people are stopped. - Weakens the argument
- So what it to do with the conclusion of the argument?

Can u brief on this?

Thanks in Advance,
Swami

rrsnathan wrote:

kinjiGC wrote:

(a) Policed stopped nine times more total people in 1992 than in previous years. - Out of scope
(b) Innocent people listed on the database are highly unlikely to be arrested for actual crimes. - The argument talks about the probing the database list of people for investigation and not for arrest - Out of scope
(c) The database has been instrumental in the capture of several important criminals. - Out of scope
(d) The minority population is much larger than the non-minority population. - Correct.
More number of people, so more number of people are stopped. - Weakens the argument
(e) Not everyone stopped by police is entered into the database. - Doesn't weaken if it is found that all of the minority population details are entered but non-minority people's details are not entered - In fact this case strengthens it. - Incorrect

Hi,

I am unable to decipher this one.

(d) The minority population is much larger than the non-minority population. - Correct.
More number of people, so more number of people are stopped. - Weakens the argument
- So what it to do with the conclusion of the argument?

Can u brief on this?

Thanks in Advance,
Swami

Premise 1 : More minorities are stopped as compared to the non-minorities.
Premise 2: Police enter the stopped people data and probe them for investigation.
Conclusion : Innocent people are harassed because of their ethnic back ground.

Option d) There are more minority people compared to non minority.

Lets say we have 500 are minority and 50 are non minority.
If suppose for every 24, 20 are minority and 4 are non minority.
20/500 < 4/50 so less number innocent people are harassed because of their ethnic back ground.

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Re: Minorities were five times as likely as non-minorities to be [#permalink]

06 Jul 2015, 10:26

It is Causal conclusion, so best way to weaken such conclusion it to find alternative reason

D says that minorities are focused not because ethicity but because they are larger

D

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Re: Minorities were five times as likely as non-minorities to be [#permalink]

24 Oct 2015, 01:11

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conmisdosmanos wrote:

2. Minorities were five times as likely as non-minorities to be stopped by the police in 1992. Once stopped, however, they were no more likely to actually be arrested. The police have compounded the problem by loading information on these people into its permanent database, which is one of the first stops for investigating actual crimes. Innocent individuals become a permanent focus of the police because of their ethnic background.

Which of the following, if true, most strongly undermines the argument above?

(a) Policed stopped nine times more total people in 1992 than in previous years.
(b) Innocent people listed on the database are highly unlikely to be arrested for actual crimes.
(c) The database has been instrumental in the capture of several important criminals.
(d) The minority population is much larger than the non-minority population.
(e) Not everyone stopped by police is entered into the database.

C? If the database was useful to catch criminals, it means that there were criminals among minority, so the point of innocent people coming under police focus is undermined.

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Re: Minorities were five times as likely as non-minorities to be [#permalink]

26 Oct 2015, 21:22

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Apourv wrote:

conmisdosmanos wrote:

2. Minorities were five times as likely as non-minorities to be stopped by the police in 1992. Once stopped, however, they were no more likely to actually be arrested. The police have compounded the problem by loading information on these people into its permanent database, which is one of the first stops for investigating actual crimes. Innocent individuals become a permanent focus of the police because of their ethnic background.

Which of the following, if true, most strongly undermines the argument above?

(a) Policed stopped nine times more total people in 1992 than in previous years.
(b) Innocent people listed on the database are highly unlikely to be arrested for actual crimes.
(c) The database has been instrumental in the capture of several important criminals.
(d) The minority population is much larger than the non-minority population.
(e) Not everyone stopped by police is entered into the database.

C? If the database was useful to catch criminals, it means that there were criminals among minority, so the point of innocent people coming under police focus is undermined.

The argument says that the database has innocent people who have come under the police scanner for no reason other than the fact that they belong to minority communities. The fact that the database had some criminals doesn't mean that is doesn't have any innocent people. The innocent people in the database have become a permanent focus of the police only because of their ethnic background. (C) does not weaken the argument.

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Re: Minorities were five times as likely as non-minorities to be [#permalink]

17 Nov 2015, 21:23

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It took me a while to understand this one, but below is my explanation:

Although very rare on the GMAT, one of the classic way to attack an argument is to attack its premises.

The author of argument reasoning is the following:

Conclusion: minorities become a permanent focus of the police because of their ethnic background
Premises: 1. their five times as likely as non-minorities to be stopped by the police
2. once stopped their information are entered in the police permanent database

Answer choice D attacks premises #1 by giving another plausible reason why minorities are five times as likely as non-minorities to be stopped by the police. They are because their population is much larger than non-minority population not because police target them specifically.

U can also get to answer choice D by using the POE because given the argument conclusion, A, B, C and E are so out of scope.

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Re: Minorities were five times as likely as non-minorities to be [#permalink]

24 Nov 2015, 09:15

VeritasPrepKarishma wrote:

kamranjkhan wrote:

The minority population is much larger than the non-minority population.

If the minority population is much larger than the non-minority population, how can they still be considered minority?

You have to take the premises and given options to be true.

Also, some specific areas of a country could have a majority of some particular ethnic population (who are still considered minority in the country) and that's how the minority population could be larger than non-minority in that area.

Please clarify me here.
Police made a database of these (i.e. minority) people. The conclusion is - 'Innocent people are now police target.' So the conclusion suggests that minority people are innocent. So, what undermines the conclusion. Something which will tell that minority people are a problem. C says that database was imp. to catch criminals. Which means that the people in that database, i.e. minority were criminal/or criminal b/g. So they are not innocent. So this undermines the conclusion. So C, right? :roll:

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Re: Minorities were five times as likely as non-minorities to be [#permalink]

03 Mar 2016, 05:25

VeritasPrepKarishma wrote:

kamranjkhan wrote:

The minority population is much larger than the non-minority population.

If the minority population is much larger than the non-minority population, how can they still be considered minority?

You have to take the premises and given options to be true.

Also, some specific areas of a country could have a majority of some particular ethnic population (who are still considered minority in the country) and that's how the minority population could be larger than non-minority in that area.

In the Stimulus - "Once stopped, however, they were no more likely to actually be arrested" is that means they are not more likely to get Arrested?

Please advise

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Re: Minorities were five times as likely as non-minorities to be [#permalink]

26 Mar 2016, 06:13

Conclusion: Innocent individuals become a permanent focus of the police because of their ethnic background.

(d)The minority population is much larger than the non-minority population.
Minorities are stopped by police since their number are greater than non minority population, not by police focus on the ethnic.

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Re: Minorities were five times as likely as non-minorities to be [#permalink]

18 Nov 2016, 08:47

conmisdosmanos wrote:

2. Minorities were five times as likely as non-minorities to be stopped by the police in 1992. Once stopped, however, they were no more likely to actually be arrested. The police have compounded the problem by loading information on these people into its permanent database, which is one of the first stops for investigating actual crimes. Innocent individuals become a permanent focus of the police because of their ethnic background.

Which of the following, if true, most strongly undermines the argument above?

(a) Policed stopped nine times more total people in 1992 than in previous years.
(b) Innocent people listed on the database are highly unlikely to be arrested for actual crimes.
(c) The database has been instrumental in the capture of several important criminals.
(d) The minority population is much larger than the non-minority population.
(e) Not everyone stopped by police is entered into the database.

well... it is clearly D...it certainly destroys the police statistics...

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Re: Minorities were five times as likely as non-minorities to be [#permalink]

07 Sep 2018, 19:33

HKHR wrote:

kamranjkhan wrote:

The minority population is much larger than the non-minority population.

If the minority population is much larger than the non-minority population, how can they still be considered minority?

Consider different groups of minorities.

Total population = 100 people
Majority group A = 40 people
Minority group 1 = 30 people
Minority group 2 = 30 people

Then majority becomes the minority when you are classifying minority group A and minority group B

gmatclubot

Re: Minorities were five times as likely as non-minorities to be [#permalink]

07 Sep 2018, 19:33

GMAT Critical Reasoning (CR) Questions

Minorities were five times as likely as non-minorities to be