ETL wrote:
I disagree with answer B. Knowing wether the corporation would build a new plant and in what location is entirely relevant, more so than if fewer people were employed. Updating existing plants is often more expensive than building new ones. Assuming the plan would like to continue operations, building a new plan would be a great option. Knowing if that plant will be in the same local area or not affects unemployment. If the city does not provide the grant, it is possible a new plant will be built in the local area and cost the city nothing. As for the number of people employed after the plan is upgraded is not relevant. Assuming a new plant is not built, they can either provide the grant and save SOME jobs, or not provide it and lose ALL jobs. A makes more sense. Please explain. What am I missing?
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Hi ETL.
When answering GMAT Critical Reasoning questions, we have to be careful not to add to the passages or answer choices ideas that neither were stated nor are directly supported by what the passages or choices say.
Here's choice (A).
(A) Whether the company that owns the plant would open a new plant in another area if the present plant were closed.Let's compare choice (A) with what you said.
What you said: Knowing if that plant will be in the same local area or not affects unemployment. If the city does not provide the grant, it is possible a new plant will be built in the local area and cost the city nothing.
Notice the difference. Choice (A) is about whether a new plant will be built SOMEWHERE ELSE. The topic of that choice is quite different from what you are talking about, which is whether a new plant will be built in or near Hazelton.
YES, what you are talking about would be helpful in deciding whether to grant the plant's request. However, you are saying things that choice (A) DOES NOT SAY.
What choice (A) says would not help the council to decide, since the building of a new plant in another area would not affect the number of jobs in Hazelton, at least not significantly enough for a GMAT Critical Reasoning scenario.
Let's consider (B) as well.
(B) Whether the plant would employ far fewer workers when updated than it does now.Since the point of providing tax breaks is to keep the plant open to prevent a major increase in local unemployment, the answer to the question of whether the plant would employ far fewer workers would be important to the government, because, if the plant would employ far fewer workers, then giving the company a tax break won't prevent a major increase in unemployment.
Granted, even some employment might be worth giving the company a tax break, but let's not get too picky about this choice.
So, (B) mentions a key piece of information and, therefore, is the correct answer.