On May first, in order to reduce the number of overdue books, a childr

Question

On May first, in order to reduce the number of overdue books, a children’s library instituted a policy of forgiving fines and giving bookmarks to children returning all of their overdue books. On July first there were twice as many overdue books as there had been on May first, although a record number of books had been returned during the interim.

Which of the following, if true, most helps to explain the apparent inconsistency in the results of the library’s policy?

(A) The librarians did not keep accurate records of how many children took advantage of the grace period, and some of the children returning overdue books did not return all of their overdue books.

(B) Although the grace period enticed some children to return all of their overdue books, it did not convince all of the children with overdue books to return all of their books.

(C) The bookmarks became popular among the children, so in order to collect the bookmarks, many children borrowed many more books than they usually did and kept them past their due date.

(D) The children were allowed to borrow a maximum of five books for a two-week period, and hence each child could keep a maximum of fifteen books beyond their due date within a two-month period.

(E) Although the library forgave overdue fines during the grace period, the amount previously charged the children was minimal; hence, the forgiveness of the fines did not provide enough incentive for them to return their overdue books.

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KarishmaB · Accepted Answer

On 1st May, a children’s library instituted a policy of forgiving fines and giving bookmarks to children returning all of their overdue books (so that children return the books they have)
On July 1st, there were twice as many overdue books as there had been on May 1st, although a record number of books had been returned during the interim.

So record number of books were returned in the 2 months but there were twice as many overdue books!

What will explain this?

(A) The librarians did not keep accurate records of how many children took advantage of the grace period, and some of the children returning overdue books did not return all of their overdue books.

Doesn't explain anything. What is grace period, we don't know so no accurate records of that doesn't help us at all. Why were there more overdue books on 1st July, we don't know.

(B) Although the grace period enticed some children to return all of their overdue books, it did not convince all of the children with overdue books to return all of their books.

Why were there more overdue books on 1st July, we don't know.

(C) The bookmarks became popular among the children, so in order to collect the bookmarks, many children borrowed many more books than they usually did and kept them past their due date.

Now this makes sense. Children borrowed many more books (and returned) in the 2 months. They did keep the books past their due dates to collect the bookmarks. This explains why twice as many overdue books were there on 1st July.

(D) The children were allowed to borrow a maximum of five books for a two-week period, and hence each child could keep a maximum of fifteen books beyond their due date within a two-month period.

The actual number of books each child is allowed to keep doesn't help. 
 varotkorn 
Since 5 books were allowed for 2 weeks, in 2 months (about 8 weeks) each child could borrow 5*3 = 15 books and keep beyond due date. In the last 2 weeks, the 2 month period would be over so the child would not be able to keep the books overdue. The child could effectively take out 20 books but keep only 15 overdue.

(E) Although the library forgave overdue fines during the grace period, the amount previously charged the children was minimal; hence, the forgiveness of the fines did not provide enough incentive for them to return their overdue books.

Why were there more overdue books on 1st July, we don't know.

Answer (C)

chetan2u · Answer

Hi,

Lets see what PARA tells us-- 
there were x books due to be returned. School forgive fine and gave bookmark to all who had overkept and now returning the books.
However, inspite of record books returned, the number of overdue books moved up to 2x..

Inference-- 
Something has happened in that month, may itself, which has resulted in this..

lets see the choices--

(A) The librarians did not keep accurate records of how many children took advantage of the grace period, and some of the children returning overdue books did not return all of their overdue books.
 this does not give reasons as to why has the nnumber due had more than doubled

(B) Although the grace period enticed some children to return all of their overdue books, it did not convince all of the children with overdue books to return all of their books.
 Again the overdue number should not have douobled still

(C) The bookmarks became popular among the children, so in order to collect the bookmarks, many children borrowed many more books than they usually did and kept them past their due date. 
 CORRECT. this tells us that in MAY ITSELF, lot of students took books and kept them for a longer period so as to earn bookmarks, knowing there is no fine in overkeeping

(D) The children were allowed to borrow a maximum of five books for a two-week period, and hence each child could keep a maximum of fifteen books beyond their due date within a two-month period.
 Out of context

(E) Although the library forgave overdue fines during the grace period, the amount previously charged the children was minimal; hence, the forgiveness of the fines did not provide enough incentive for them to return their overdue books. 
 The info in Q says there was a RECORD number of books returned and even if there was no incentive, there was no reason to the number doubling

ans C

VeritasPrepDennis · Answer

In this case, the question is asking what could be the reason that there were MORE overdue books as of July 1 than as of May1 (when the library forgave the fines for overdue books).

Answer choice C explains this paradox by positing that the forgiveness of the fines lead children to return their overdue books BUT ALSO to checkout many more books in order to get the bookmarks also being offered. This scenario is the only one that explains why there would be MORE overdue books.

Kurtosis · Answer

On May first, in order to reduce the number of overdue books, a children’s library instituted a policy of forgiving fines and giving bookmarks to children returning all of their overdue books. On July first there were twice as many overdue books as there had been on May first, although a record number of books had been returned
during the interim.

Which of the following, if true, most helps to explain the apparent inconsistency in the results of the library’s policy?

(A) The librarians did not keep accurate records of how many children took advantage of the grace period, and some of the children returning overdue books did not return all of their overdue books.

(B) Although the grace period enticed some children to return all of their overdue books, it did not convince all of the children with overdue books to return all of their books.

(C) The bookmarks became popular among the children, so in order to collect the bookmarks, many children borrowed many more books than they usually did and kept them past their due date.

(D) The children were allowed to borrow a maximum of five books for a two-week period, and hence each child could keep a maximum of fifteen books beyond their due date within a two-month period.

(E) Although the library forgave overdue fines during the grace period, the amount previously charged the children was minimal; hence, the forgiveness of the fines did not provide enough incentive for them to return their overdue books.

AnubhavK · Answer

Only "C" explains how the policy gave the children a motive to check out and return more books while also allowing them to keep more of the books past the due dates.

DHINGRACHIRAG24 · Answer

C is the best answer 
I am confused between choice C and E but at the end i got C as E is not explaining why there are increase in the overdue books even after providing so may benefits to the students .

CAMANISHPARMAR · Answer

Step 1: Read the Question Stem:-- Which of the following, if true, most helps to explain the apparent inconsistency in the results of the library’s policy?----->  Identify the gap in logic    - i.e. Paradox Question

Analysis of Stimulus:-
1) On May first, in order to reduce the number of overdue books,  ----->Goal is make people return overdue books. 
2) a children’s library instituted a policy of forgiving fines and  -----> Benefit for people, i.e. incentive to return overdue books 
3) giving bookmarks to children returning all of their overdue books.  ----> also a freebee - bookmark 
4) On July first there were twice as many overdue books as there had been on May first,  -----> Now the problem seems to have intensified rather than getting resolved, i.e. the library has more number of overdue books 
5) although a record number of books had been returned during the interim. ----->Surprisingly books were returned. 
 
Pre-thinking:- How in the world this could happen? The library wanted the books back. They have got their books back, i.e. A RECORD NUMBER. Still the number of overdue books have increased to twice as many overdue books as there had been on May first.-------------> A library NOT ONLY receive books, it also ISSUES books. What if the number of books issued > than the number of books which were returned? This could be a possibility or something else...lets check the answer choices:-

Look what Option (C) says ----> "The bookmarks became popular among the children, so in order to collect the bookmarks,  many children borrowed many more books than they usually did and kept them past their due date ".  ----> BINGO!!

kornn · Answer

Dear  VeritasKarishma   DmitryFarber   MartyTargetTestPrep ,

Q1. I do not know how to interpret the first part of choice A:
(A)  The librarians did not keep accurate   records   of how many children took advantage of the grace period

Does the "records" mentioned in choice A. mean that the number of   returned overdue   books (NOT the number of OVERALL returned books OR the number of returned NON-overdue books OR the number of OVERALL UNreturned books) on July first, according to the passage, is inaccurate?

Q2. I am just curious how "fifteen books" in choice D. comes from:
(D)  The children were allowed to borrow a maximum of five books for a two-week period, and hence each child could keep a maximum of   fifteen books   beyond their due date within a two-month period.

Since two-week period occurs FOUR times in a two-month period, each child could keep a maximum of  5 * 4 = 20  (not fifteen) books? I am confused by the logic here.

Thank you in advance!

Rebaz · Answer

I have two questions and hope that someone of Gmat Club can clarify to me.

1st question:

If you look at this question, it is a Low 5% question. Where would these Low 5% questions rank between? 
450-500 or 500-550 or 550-590?

There is Also Low 15% questions. Where would these Low 15% questions rank between? 500-550 or 550-590?

2nd question:

There are also Medium 25%, Medium 35% and Medium 45% questions. Where would these Medium 25%, Medium 35% and Medium 45% questions rank between? 600-650 or 650-690???

DmitryFarberMPrep · Answer

varotkorn

Q1. An answer choice will never render any information stated in the stimulus inaccurate. All answer choice A is saying is that the librarians did not manage to keep track of exactly who had returned all of their overdue books. This might be tempting as an explanation for the large number of overdue books in July. "Aha! They librarians weren't keeping track, and now more books than before are overdue!" However, we know that a record number of books were returned, so whatever the cause of the increase is, it must stem from new checkouts, not simply a failure to track which students returned all of their books.

Q2. It's true that there are roughly 4 2-week periods in 2 months, but they are presumably working with the idea that books checked out in the final 2 weeks could not be overdue within that 2-month period. Technically, they could be overdue by a few days at the end of the month, but this doesn't change the underlying reasoning.

RitabrataSarkar · Answer

In C, the author never mention return of the books which would support that many more books were returned. Can you help!

The info in Q says there was a RECORD number of books returned and even if there was no incentive, there was no reason to the number doubling

ans C

DmitryFarberMPrep · Answer

RitabrataSarkar

Our job is not to choose an answer that supports all (or any!) of the given facts. If the text says that a record number of books have been returned, then they have. We don't need any proof.

Rather, our job is to choose an answer that helps us make sense of the strange situation presented. What happened that was strange? A policy was instituted to reward the return of overdue books. The policy worked in one sense--many books were returned--but somehow more books were overdue than before. What could explain this?

C gives us what we want. Kids are keeping books too long on purpose, so they can get the reward for overdue books! I have to say I predicted this immediately before I looked at the answers, but perhaps this is just because I spent a long time as a schoolteacher.

We have to be very careful when we create incentives!

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Manhattan Prep Instructor from 2009-2025

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We have to be very careful when we create incentives!

VerbalBot · Answer

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