Nsentra wrote:
If the ad agency that created the television ad for Tough-As-Nails Tools had thoroughly researched customer demographics, then they would have realized that the majority of frequent tool users are men. Yet the ad was shown during a cooking program targeted to women. However, if the advertisers had not researched customer demographics, then the ad would not have incorporated images depicting the use of tools in home improvement projects as an activity that men enjoy. Yet the ad did so. Therefore the ad agency made some sort of mistake: either the agency did not understand the demographics of the cooking program's audience or the ad was intended to be shown during a different program.
Which one of the following statements, if true, would most weaken the argument above?
(A) The purchasers of products given as gifts are not the ultimate users of those products.
(B) Many women, including those who watch cooking programs, occasionally use tools for home improvement projects.
(C) The ad agency had never previously aired an ad during a program other than the one intended.
(D) Some men, including some who use tools frequently, occasionally watch cooking programs.
(E) The ad agency has a reputation for conducting high quality demographic research.
This is “weaken question”, the
key is always how to
translate the conclusion correctly. If you don’t understand the intended meaning of the conclusion, it’s hard to solve the question.
ANALYZE THE STIMULUS.The logic of the question is:
* If the ad agency
understood the demographics (the majority of frequent tool users are men) --> the
ad would NOT be shown during “women” program.
* If the ad agency did
NOT understand the demographics --> the ad would
NOT incorporated “men” images. But the ad did have “men” images. That the ad agency did not understand the demographics is a wrong logic.
Conclusion: There are two scenarios:
(1) the agency did not understand the demographics of the cooking program's audience
--OR--(2) the ad was intended to be shown during a different program.
Assumption: The above two scenarios CAN’T happen simultaneously. To
weaken the conclusion: You need to demonstrate that the
two scenarios CAN happen simultaneously.
ANALYZE EACH OPTION.(A) The purchasers of products given as gifts are not the ultimate users of those products.
Correct. A means the ad agency knows the final users are men (
understand the demographics), but the purchasers are usually women (
intended to show the ad on cooking programs). Thus, A weakens the conclusion by showing that both scenarios above can happen simultaneously.
(B) Many women, including those who watch cooking programs, occasionally use tools for home improvement projects.
Wrong. B supports the second scenario that the ad was intended to be shown during a different program. (The ad agency targets at women as potential customers). But
B says NOTHING about the first scenario. Thus, B can’t weaken the conclusion.
(C) The ad agency had never previously aired an ad during a program other than the one intended.
Wrong. Same error as in B. C supports the second scenario but
says NOTHING about the first. Thus, C can’t weaken the conclusion.
(D) Some men, including some who use tools frequently, occasionally watch cooking programs.
Wrong. Same error as in B. D mentions that some men occasionally watch cooking programs, thus the ad agency did have intention to show the ad on those program. D supports the second scenario but
says NOTHING about the first. D can’t weaken the conclusion.
(E) The ad agency has a reputation for conducting high quality demographic research.
Wrong. E does not weaken the conclusion as it does
not show the correlation between demographic research and intention to show the ad on cooking programs.
Hope it helps.
TAKE AWAY:For Weaken/Strengthen questions, Conclusion is KEY.