aks456 wrote:
Cable Television Executive: Our service and reliability have increased dramatically over the past year.Our customer service line is receiving 30 percent fewer reports of interrupted service, and the number of subscribers cancelling their accounts is barely half of what it was last year.
Cable Television Customer: That doesn't mean your service and reliability have improved.
It's possible that customers don't bother to call your customer service line to report problems because they never get any assistance when they do.And the drop-off in the number of cancelled accounts could reflect the fact that nearly all of your dissatisfied customers have already cancelled their accounts.
In the argument above, the two portions in
boldface play which of the following roles?
A)The first is evidence designed to lead to a conclusion; the second offers further evidence in support of that conclusion.
B)The first is evidence designed to lead to a conclusion; the second offers further evidence designed to cast doubt on that conclusion.
C)The first is a conclusion;the second offers evidence in support of that conclusion.
D)The first is a conclusion;the second offers evidence designed to cast doubt on that conclusion.
E)The first is a conclusion;the second is an alternative conclusion based on the same evidence
In between D and E. I understand that the second boldface is not an alternative conclusion so E is incorrect. But its not an evidence also.Why is D preferred over E?
Official Explanation:
D
Step 1: Identify the Question TypeThis stem offers standard language for a Bolded Statement question—it asks us to determine the roles played in the arguments by each of the boldface statements.
Step 2: Untangle the StimulusThe cable television executive uses evidence of fewer customer complaints and cancellations to conclude that the cable company’s service has improved over the past year. The customer disagrees, providing an alternative explanation for the executive’s evidence. According to the customer, there are fewer cancellations because all the dissatisfied customers have already canceled their accounts, and the decreased number of complaints indicates that frustrated customers have just given up.
Step 3: Predict the AnswerThe first bolded statement is the cable executive’s conclusion, and the second bolded statement is evidence from the customer that would support a contradictory conclusion.
Step 4: Evaluate the Choices(D) is correct; the second statement is designed to cast doubt on the validity of the conclusion in the first. Since the first bolded statement represents the executive’s conclusion, we can eliminate (A) and (B), which characterize this statement as evidence. The customer clearly disagrees with the executive, so we can eliminate (C). (E) is tricky; the second statement does provide an alternate explanation of some of the evidence, but the second statement is not a conclusion, merely a possible interpretation. Always read diligently so that you can avoid half-right, half-wrong answer choices.
Choice (D) is correct.