People should patronize businesses that meet high ethical standards, a

Question

People should patronize businesses that meet high ethical standards, and the news media should help them to patronize those businesses. Therefore, when a business performs a notably ethical action, the news media should publicize that fact, for hearing of a business's ethical conduct is often enough to motivate people to patronize that business.

Which one of the following, if true, most seriously weakens the argument?

(A) Some businesses that have high ethical standards do not actually meet those standards.

(B) Meeting high ethical standards is primarily a matter of refraining from unethical behavior.

(C) It is relatively easy for a business to meet its ethical standards if it does not set them very high.

(D) The news media is more likely to publicize a business's unethical conduct than it is to publicize a business's ethical conduct.

(E) Some businesses that meet high ethical standards would not do so if they could not remain profitable while meeting those standards.

Mavisdu1017 · Answer

Hello expert,
I can not understand why D is wrong. As the conclusion is: when a business performs a notably ethical action, the news media (should publicize) that fact, D is saying media is (unlikely to publicize) a business's ethical conduct. So weakens the conclusion.
Where am I wrong? Pls help and thanks a ton.

VedantAgarwal7 · Answer

My reasons for choosing B

(A) Some businesses that have high ethical standards do not actually meet those standards.
 Incorrect  - If the business doesn't meet it's standard and by effect does not deserve to be publicised, what's there to discuss here?

(B) Meeting high ethical standards is primarily a matter of refraining from unethical behavior.
 Correct  - It is implied here that merely refraining from unethical behaviour is meeting of a high ethical standard so there's nothing to be publicised.

(C) It is relatively easy for a business to meet its ethical standards if it does not set them very high.
 Incorrect  - The author mentions performance of a "notably high ethical action" which isnt related to how high or low a company sets its standards.

(D) The news media is more likely to publicize a business's unethical conduct than it is to publicize a business's ethical conduct.
 Incorrect  -Irrelevant what the news media would want or not want to show. If they do show ethical conduct of a business, the authors point could stand.

(E) Some businesses that meet high ethical standards would not do so if they could not remain profitable while meeting those standards. 
 Incorrect  -Profitability of a business is not relevant here. If anything, it strengthens the argument by providing more customers to an otherwise low-profit business.

MartyTargetTestPrep · Answer

Hi Mavisdu1017.

Notice that the conclusion is about what the news media SHOULD do. In other words, the conclusion is about what it the BEST course of action for the media.

The conclusion is not about what the news media WILL do.

A fact about what the media IS LIKLELY TO do, such as what (D) states, does not affect a conclusion about what the media should do. That fact would only affect a conclusion about what the media has done or will do.

bv8562 · Answer

MartyTargetTestPrep  Could you please help me understand why option B is correct? What does it imply?

MartyTargetTestPrep · Answer

The main conclusion of the argument is the following:

Therefore, when a business performs a notably ethical action, the news media should publicize that fact

Now, here's (B).

(B) Meeting high ethical standards is primarily a matter of refraining from unethical behavior.

We see that what (B) indicates is that a business can be ethical because of what it does NOT do.

If a business is ethical because of what it does not do, then there isn't really any "notably ethical action" for the media to publicize. The business is ethical because of the actions it does not take.

So, (B) weakens the case for the idea that the media can help people to patronize ethical businesses by publicizing the facts about ethical actions businesses perform.

That said, it's also worth noting that this question doesn't work like a GMAT Weaken question. In this question, the correct answer, choice (B), doesn't directly weaken the argument as the correct answer to a GMAT Weaken question would. After all, the fact that, as choice (B) says, "meeting high ethical standards is primarily a matter of refraining from unethical behavior," does not mean that the media should not publicize ethical actions if there is something to publicize. Rather, it means that there isn't much to publicize. So, what (B) shows is that the plan won't work very well in general rather than that the argument itself doesn't work.

unraveled · Answer

People should patronize businesses that meet high ethical standards, and the news media should help them to patronize those businesses. Therefore, when a business performs a notably ethical action, the news media should publicize that fact, for hearing of a business's ethical conduct is often enough to motivate people to patronize that business.

Which one of the following, if true, most seriously weakens the argument?

(A) Some businesses that have high ethical standards do not actually meet those standards. - WRONG. Yes, some definitely some would be there but it does not affect the conclusion. Media is concerned about publicizing ethical conduct rather than ones that do not.

(B) Meeting high ethical standards is primarily a matter of refraining from unethical behavior. - CORRECT. Sad that this the right answer. I rejected it as it needed further assumption as any other choice available here. So, basically we have three scenarios that we can consider, if we consider a number-line this is at 0 or at best slightly towards -1. Let's say we have situation wherein A ---- B. Would we be concerned about Not A or Not B. As there is a situation that remains neutral is also a possibility. It has a subtle change of perspective is that assumption is made as elaborated by Marty. Thank you Marty for explaining that minutely.

(C) It is relatively easy for a business to meet its ethical standards if it does not set them very high. - WRONG. True in reality but how does affect the conclusion. It is more a neutral choice that goes in either direction depending on the assumption made.

(D) The news media is more likely to publicize a business's unethical conduct than it is to publicize a business's ethical conduct. - WRONG. Publicizing ethical conduct is what we are looking for and not unethical conduct.

(E) Some businesses that meet high ethical standards would not do so if they could not remain profitable while meeting those standards. - WRONG. Unfortunately, chose this one. Quite good a choice but needs further assumption/s to be made for it to weaken the conclusion. So, what if these businesses don't remain highly ethical. We are not sure how things would pan out then.

Answer B.

KittyDoodles · Answer

Hi  MartyTargetTestPrep ,

Hope you are doing well.

Please can you advise why Option C is wrong.

Is it because as per option C, even if a business performs an easier ethical action, the media has content to publicize, unlike option B?

Thanks
Kitty

People should patronize businesses that meet high ethical standards, a

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