Of all the laptops available for sale in Ireland, those manufactured

Would D then mean, not all laptops for sale are using the highest processors?

I think all the options but D and E can be eliminated with ease. So comparing option D and E.

(D) All the laptops available for sale in Ireland are same in every aspect except for their processors.

We need to strengthen the argument and what better way to do so than to show that the only differentiating factor of all the laptops in Ireland is the processor. Further, we know that the processors used by Ivy Infotech laptops are the fastest. Hence, if all the factors remain the same (such as price, brand value, ergonomics, etc), obviously the consumer will purchase the laptop with a better processor.

(E) The Irish populace prefers laptops with faster processors.

The argument mentions that Ivy infotech has sold thrice as many laptops as its competitors, but we do not know if these sales are only in Ireland or include exports as well. Hence this sentence may or may not strengthen the argument. If the argument had mentioned that the sales are specific to Ireland, this option would have strenghthened the argument, but if the argument had mentioned that sales include exports, this option would have been irrelevant to the argument.

Official Explanation

Since this is a strengthen question, you know that the stimulus will be worded in the form of an argument. So, the first step is to identify the conclusion and the evidence of this argument.

Conclusion (What is the argument stating)

Laptops manufactured by Ivy Infotech have the fastest processors.

Evidence (Why is the argument stating this)

Ivy Infotech has sold the maximum number of laptops in the last six months in Ireland.

But does this make sense? Can’t there be some other plausible reason why the people in Ireland are buying Ivy Infotech’s laptops?

Maybe these laptops have a very sleek design, maybe they have a very long battery life, or maybe they are the cheapest laptops in the market. There can be several other reasons (other than faster processors) why the Irish are buying laptops manufactured by Ivy Infotech. This brings us to the assumption. Remember that since the stimulus is in the form of an argument, it must contain an assumption.

Assumption (the unstated evidence)

So let’s try to predict the assumption. It could be something on the lines of ‘the only difference among the different laptops available in Ireland is the speed of the processor; the laptops are the same in every other aspect’, because in that case if the Irish are still buying Ivy Infotech’s laptops then these laptops must have the fastest processors, else people would be buying some other company’s laptops.

Strengthener

So, now that we have identified the conclusion, the evidence, and the assumption, the option that best tells us that the assumption is true has to strengthen the argument. D does this best and should be the correct answer.

For clarity, let’s also take a look at the other options:

(A) The argument is only concerned with processor speeds accounting for high sales. It has got nothing to do with how old a company is.

(B) Again this option doesn’t tell us why Ivy Infotech has the largest market share. Is it the processor speed or some other reason?

(C) Very well; but it is possible that the other competitors of Ivy Infotech also source their processors from this same company.

(D) The correct answer. If the only difference among the laptops is the processor speed and if people are still buying laptops manufactured by Ivy Infotech, then these laptops must have the fastest processors.

(E) The option uses the word prefers which doesn’t tell you anything. You could prefer flying by a private jet to flying by a commercial airline but you mostly still have to fly by a commercial airline. So the Irish could prefer laptops with faster chips but might buy some other laptop which has a slightly slower processor but a much longer battery life or which costs much less.

Just because Irish people prefer faster processors doesn't guarantee they will buy one. It is not a necessary condition.
Whereas if all laptops in Ireland are of same specifications but processors, it is very obvious that Irish people will buy a faster processor. So correct answer is D.

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Premises:
Over the last six months, Ivy Infotech has sold three times as many laptops as its closest competitor.
Additionally, Ivy Infotech’s order books are full for the next 12 months.

Conclusion: Of all the laptops available for sale in Ireland, those manufactured by Ivy Infotech must have the fastest processors.

We need to strengthen that Ivy has the fastest processors. The premises give us no info on processors. We did not conclude that Ivy's laptops have the longest battery life or the best display etc.
What can help us arrive at the conclusion that Ivy has fastest processors?


(D) All the laptops available for sale in Ireland are same in every aspect except for their processors.

The only diff between laptops are processors. If Ivy is the obvious market leader, its processors are likely the best. All other laptops are identical to it in other aspects. Of course it is possible that Ivy laptops are sold because of their marketing strategies or brand loyalty etc but it does become likely that they are actually better. We don't have to try to prove the conclusion, just support it. If processors are the differentiating parameters for th product, then it does become more likely that their processors are the best.

(E) The Irish populace prefers laptops with faster processors.

This option is irrelevant. Everybody prefers laptops with faster processors (compared with slower processors), with longer battery lives (compared with shorter battery lives), with more memory (compared with less memory), with cheaper price etc. What says that the purchase decision is based on processor speed alone? It doesn't help us conclude that Ivy's processor is the best. Option (D) tells us that purchase decision could be based on processor speed because that is the only differentiating factor in the product.

Answer (D)

Discussion on Strengthen Questions: https://youtu.be/mB8bm_a4GNk