Power Records, a music chain store, discovered that playing rock music

Question

Power Records, a music chain store, discovered that playing rock music in its stores increases sales of rock albums and that playing classical music leads to an increase in sales of classical music albums. Therefore, in order to increase sales of pop singer Frenchie Pear's new CD, her latest single Dazed and Confused should be constantly played in all Power Records stores.

The above argument relies on which of the following assumptions?

The above argument relies on which of the following assumptions?

(A) Pop music is similar to rock music.
(B) All of Frenchie Pear's previous singles that were played in Power Records stores sold well.
(C) The said sales technique also works for specific songs.
(D) Frenchie Pear's latest single has received rave reviews.
(E) Power Records sells more pop albums than any other music chain store does.

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agrasan · Answer

The author says that he played  albums  in the store and it led increase in sales but he talks about playing a singer's  singles songs  to increase the sales.

(A) Pop music is similar to rock music.
 Not an assumption , to increase the sale of Frenchie Pear's new CD, the author doesn't have to assume that pop music is similar to rock music.

(B) All of Frenchie Pear's previous singles that were played in Power Records stores sold well.
 Not an assumption , the author doesn't have to assume that  ALL  Frenchie Pear's previous singles that were played sold well, even if some singles were played, then the conclusion can still hold.
 
(C) The said sales technique also works for specific songs.
 Assumption , the author jumps from  album  in his support to  singles  (specific songs) in his conclusion so he has to assume that the technique mentioned also works for specific songs.

(D) Frenchie Pear's latest single has received rave reviews.
 Not an assumption , it doesn't matter, even if reviews are rave, the increase in sales can still happen by playing in stores.

(E) Power Records sells more pop albums than any other music chain store does.
 Not an assumption , the comparison between pop albums sold by Power Records and other music chain stores is irrelevant.

(C)  is the answer.

ManifestDreamMBA · Answer

The author is assuming the technique which worked for genre should also work for the singles.

(A) Pop music is similar to rock music.  Irrelevant 
(B) All of Frenchie Pear's previous singles that were played in Power Records stores sold well.  Irrelevant, we are concerned about the latest single from her new CD 
(C) The said sales technique also works for specific songs.  Correct 
(D) Frenchie Pear's latest single has received rave reviews.  Not a must be true, it's a strengthener 
(E) Power Records sells more pop albums than any other music chain store does.  Not a must be true, it's can be a strengthener

Bunuel · Answer

OFFICIAL EXPLANATION

Power Records, a music chain store, discovered that playing rock music in its stores increases sales of rock albums and that playing classical music leads to an increase in sales of classical music albums. Therefore, in order to increase sales of pop singer Frenchie Pear's new CD, her latest single Dazed and Confused should be constantly played in all Power Records stores.

The above argument relies on which of the following assumptions?

The above argument relies on which of the following assumptions?

(A) Pop music is similar to rock music.

Incorrect.

To solve this Assumption question, first break down the argument. Sentences 1 and 2 are factual, so they are the premises, while sentence 3 includes a conclusion conjunction (therefore) and a recommendation (should) so it's the conclusion.

The author believes playing Frenchie Pear's song will increase its sales, based on the fact rock and classical albums sales increased after they were played in the store. Now ask yourself: what must the author assume for this argument to stand?

While this answer choice is the strongest distractor, which makes it second best, it is too general. This would explain a conclusion such as 'playing pop music in store will increase pop music sales', but it does not explain the author's conclusion about Frenchie Pear's music.

(B) All of Frenchie Pear's previous singles that were played in Power Records stores sold well.

Incorrect.

This answer choice presents a new premise about the sales of Frenchie Pear's previous songs after they were played in stores. It is irrelevant whether this new data supports the conclusion; what you are looking for is the assumption, which should explain how the author drew the conclusion based on the existing premises.

(C) The said sales technique also works for specific songs.

The argument provides data about the relation between playing and selling musical genres. The conclusion deals with a specific song within a certain genre (Frenchie Pear makes pop music). The conclusion draws an analogy between the two. Thus, the assumption is that what works for musical genres will also work for specific artists.

(D) Frenchie Pear's latest single has received rave reviews.

Incorrect.

To solve this Assumption question, first break down the argument. Sentences 1 and 2 are factual, so they are the premises, while sentence 3 includes a conclusion conjunction (therefore) and a recommendation (should) so it's the conclusion.

The author believes playing Frenchie Pear's song will increase its sales, based on the fact rock and classical albums sales increased after they were played in the store. Now ask yourself: what must the author assume for this argument to stand?

This answer choice presents a new premise about the reviews Frenchie Pear's song received. It is irrelevant whether this new data supports the conclusion; what you are looking for is the assumption, which should explain how the author drew the conclusion based on the existing premises.

(E) Power Records sells more pop albums than any other music chain store does.

Incorrect.

This answer choice presents a new premise about Power Records. It is irrelevant whether this new data supports the conclusion; what you are looking for is the assumption, which should explain how the author drew the conclusion based on the existing premises.

Power Records, a music chain store, discovered that playing rock music

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GMAT Critical Reasoning (CR) Questions

Power Records, a music chain store, discovered that playing rock music

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

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