SajjadAhmad wrote:
Source: McGraw Hill GMAT
Advertisement: The most flavorful olives in the world are kalamata olives. The more kalamata olives used to make a bottle of olive oil, the more flavorful the oil, and no company buys more kalamata olives than Zorba’s Olive Oil. Therefore, when you buy Zorba’s Olive Oil, you’re buying the most flavorful olive oil available today.
The reasoning presented in the advertisement is flawed because it overlooks the possibility that:
A. Not all of Zorba’s competitors use kalamata olives in their oil.
B. Zorba’s sells more olive oil than any other company.
C. The most flavorful olive oil is not necessarily the best olive oil.
D. Because of bulk discounts, Zorba’s pays less per kilogram of kalamata olives than does its competitors.
E. The number of kalamata olives harvested every year is far less than the number of Spanish olives harvested every year.
This argument is meant to support the following conclusion:
- When you buy Zorba’s Olive Oil, you’re buying the most flavorful olive oil available today.
The conclusion is supported by the following premises:
- The more kalamata olives used to make a bottle of olive oil, the more flavorful the oil.
- Zorba's buys more kalamata olives than are bought by any other company.
What's missing? The argument goes from the fact that Zorba's buys the most kalamata olives to the conclusion that Zorba's oil is the most flavorful. To get from the fact that Zorba's buys the most kalamata olives to the conclusion, you have to assume that Zorba's not only buys the most kalamata olives but also USES THE MOST KALAMATA OLIVES PER BOTTLE OF OIL.
Does the argument ever say that Zorba's actually uses the most kalamata olives per bottle of oil? No.
Now, let's consider the choices.
(A)
Incorrect. Since what this choice says is in line with what the argument says about Zorba's oil versus other companies' oil, it does not highlight a flaw in the argument.
(B)
Correct. This choice highlights the flaw in the argument. Zorba's buys the most kalamata olives, but that it does does not mean that it uses the most kalamata olives per bottle. The reason for Zorba's buying so many kalamata olives could be simply that Zorba's makes the most olive oil, in which case, it may use fewer kalamata olives per bottle of oil even thought it buys more olives. So this choice brings up what the argument has overlooked.
(C)
Incorrect. The argument is not about the best olive oil, but rather about the most flavorful. So, even if this statement were true, it would not affect the argument.
(D)
Incorrect. The logic of the argument is focused solely on how many olives Zorba's buys and the effect of using so many olives in making the olive oil. The cost of the olives does not affect that logic.
(E)
Incorrect. The relative sizes of harvests of various types of olive do not affect how many kalamata olives Zorba's uses per bottle. Regardless of the harvest size, Zorba's buys more kalamata olives than does any other company.
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Marty Murray | Chief Curriculum and Content Architect
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