In numerous factories, automated equipment is replacing employees in

Question

In numerous factories, automated equipment is replacing employees in order to save money. These employees will need government assistance to survive, and the same factories that fire employees will eventually pay for that assistance through a heavier tax burden and unemployment insurance fees.

Which of the following, if true, most strengthens the author's argument?

Which of the following, if true, most strengthens the author's argument?

(A) The profits of most factories that are not replacing employees with automated equipment are declining each year.

(B) Automated equipment that is sophisticated enough to replace employees is very costly.

(C) Most employees that have been replaced by automated equipment are unskilled workers and are thus often unable to find new jobs.

(D) Government unemployment assistance is funded by many resources, and taxes and unemployment insurance fees account for less than 10% of these funds.

(E) All factories are obligated to pay taxes and to give employees a month's notice before dismissal.

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Sathvik02 · Answer

The assumption of the argument is that the fired employees will not find new jobs (after getting fired), because if they find new jobs the argument breaks down: No unemployed workers means government need not pay for their expenses. 
Let's see what the option choice says: 
 
(A) The profits of most factories that are not replacing employees with automated equipment are declining each year.

(B) Automated equipment that is sophisticated enough to replace employees is very costly.

(C) Most employees that have been replaced by automated equipment are unskilled workers and are thus often unable to find new jobs:   Correct choice - This is exactly what we needed. If these employees are able to find new jobs then the argument breaks down.

(D) Government unemployment assistance is funded by many resources, and taxes and unemployment insurance fees account for less than 10% of these funds.

(E) All factories are obligated to pay taxes and to give employees a month's notice before dismissal.

VivekSri · Answer

OA is C

Posted from my mobile device

Bunuel · Answer

OFFICIAL EXPLANATION

In numerous factories, automated equipment is replacing employees in order to save money. These employees will need government assistance to survive, and the same factories that fire employees will eventually pay for that assistance through a heavier tax burden and unemployment insurance fees.

Which of the following, if true, most strengthens the author's argument?

Which of the following, if true, most strengthens the author's argument?

(A) The profits of most factories that are not replacing employees with automated equipment are declining each year.

Incorrect.

To solve this Conclusion Strengthening question, first break down the argument. The first sentence is a premise providing factual data. The last sentence is a prediction put forward by the author - the argument's conclusion::

Premise A: machines are replacing human workers in a number of factories
 =
Prediction: the workers that are fired will need money from the government to live and this money will be funded by taxing the factories

Possible assumption: the workers being fired will not find new jobs

Strengthening Data: ?

You are required to find data that strengthens the conclusion that the workers fired from factories will need financial support that will come from taxing factories. The correct answer could be one that confirms the argument's assumption.

This answer choice neither strengthens nor weakens the author's conclusion since the data it presents is irrelevant. The author's conclusion regards factories that do fire employees whereas this answer choice provides us with information about factories that do not.

Notice that the conclusion isn't simply about whether the employees should be fired; it's about the effects firing employees would have on the factories.

(B) Automated equipment that is sophisticated enough to replace employees is very costly.

This answer choice confirms the argument's assumption. The employees will only need government assistance if they cannot take care of themselves. This answer choice presents data that supports the idea that the employees, once fired, will not be able to take care of themselves and will need help from the government.

(C) Most employees that have been replaced by automated equipment are unskilled workers and are thus often unable to find new jobs.

To solve this Conclusion Strengthening question, first break down the argument. The first sentence is a premise providing factual data. The last sentence is a prediction put forward by the author - the argument's conclusion::

Premise A: machines are replacing human workers in a number of factories
 =
Prediction: the workers that are fired will need money from the government to live and this money will be funded by taxing the factories

Possible assumption: the workers being fired will not find new jobs

Strengthening Data: ?

You are required to find data that strengthens the conclusion that the workers fired from factories will need financial support that will come from taxing factories. The correct answer could be one that confirms the argument's assumption.

This answer choice confirms the argument's assumption. The employees will only need government assistance if they cannot take care of themselves. This answer choice presents data that supports the idea that the employees, once fired, will not be able to take care of themselves and will need help from the government.

(D) Government unemployment assistance is funded by many resources, and taxes and unemployment insurance fees account for less than 10% of these funds.

Incorrect.

To solve this Conclusion Strengthening question, first break down the argument. The first sentence is a premise providing factual data. The last sentence is a prediction put forward by the author - the argument's conclusion::

Premise A: machines are replacing human workers in a number of factories
 =
Prediction: the workers that are fired will need money from the government to live and this money will be funded by taxing the factories

Possible assumption: the workers being fired will not find new jobs

Strengthening Data: ?

You are required to find data that strengthens the conclusion that the workers fired from factories will need financial support that will come from taxing factories. The correct answer could be one that confirms the argument's assumption.

This answer choice weakens the conclusion which states that the factories will be punished by having to fund government unemployment assistance. If this assistance is only based partly (10%) on the money from factories, then the tax burden may not be that heavy.

(E) All factories are obligated to pay taxes and to give employees a month's notice before dismissal.

Incorrect.

This answer choice neither strengthens nor weakens the author's conclusion as knowing the factories' obligations does not help us determine whether firing employees would increase the taxation on factories.

In numerous factories, automated equipment is replacing employees in

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GMAT Critical Reasoning (CR) Questions

In numerous factories, automated equipment is replacing employees in

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615 to 715 in 15 Days (Ria's Strategies)

More than Quant/Verbal Abilities: Speed vs. Accuracy

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Perfect 805 Score Debrief by Julia