Rooms in small hotels, which tend to position themselves as

explanation :

premise1 : Rooms in small hotels, which tend to position themselves as Eco-friendly alternatives to larger hotels, generally register lower electricity usage than similar rooms in larger hotels

premise 2 : It is also true that heating requires a lot of electricity

conclusion : Therefore, people should not book rooms in small hotels when the weather gets very cold.

assumption : people tend to look for warmer rooms in very cold weather, a situation which is very true in real life as well !!

so in order to support conclusion lets hit at assumption

a> Centralized heating systems used only in larger hotels help to bring down the cost of heating an individual room in such hotels.--->supports ; if despite central heating (a process that lowers the cost) ,the electricity usage of bigger hotel is more then it means that they indeed keep their hotels warm

b> Small hotels use the same extremely energy efficient lighting technology used in larger hotels.---> supports ; same "lighting technology" is being used then also if electricity usage of small hotels is less that means that heating is definitely less in small hotels

c> People who stay in small hotels typically spend significantly less time in their rooms than those who stay in larger hotels.--->supports ; if u r spending more time in big hotels then u need the room warmer, for obvious reasons

d> When the weather is cold, there is less demand for hotel rooms and therefore larger hotels have excess capacity.------>correct

e> People who book rooms in hotels they consider Eco-friendly are not any more likely than other people to try to save electricity by not using any available heating.------->supports ; well all it means is that people wants warmer room !!!

is it B ? Seems irrelevant to the argument.

Dear aditya8062,
I am happy to respond to your private message.

First of all, I think you overlooked the crucial fact that this is an EXCEPT question. This means, four of the answers should be clear and unambiguous strengtheners, and those four are NOT the answer. The only possible answer could be something that either weakens the argument or is entirely irrelevant. Yes, absolutely, choice (D) is a strengthener, which means it is NOT the answer, because we asked to find which answer is NOT a strengthener.

I will also say: I think this is an extremely poor question. It's true, (A) and (D) are clear strengtheners. I would argue that (B) & (C) & (E) are all irrelevant to the conclusion. I argue, it's possible to argue either for the conclusion, or the opposite of the conclusion, if any of those three is true. Also, the quality of writing in the question is far below the standards set in the GMAT: "heating requires a lot of electricity" --- that's embarrassing! I would say: the less time spent on this question, the better.

That's my two cents.

Mike

thanks mike
can u please explain as why D is strengthener
D says : When the weather is cold, there is less demand for hotel rooms and therefore larger hotels have excess capacity

the argument is about how large hotels are better in cold weather .so any answer that strengthens the argument must hint at the fact that large hotels are able to provide better heating. how does "excess capacity" help to provide better heating ?

Dear aditya8062,
First of all, let's make sure we understand the terminology here.
"less demand" = fewer customers want to stay at these hotels in winter months
"excess capacity" = more empty rooms, because fewer people are staying there
If demand goes down, typically the price goes down: that's a very basic point of the Law of Supply & Demand. If bigger hotels have cheaper rooms when the weather is cold, that is one reason to stay there, rather than in the smaller hotels. That's a strengthener.
Does all this make sense?
Mike

sorry my text in my last post got little different from what i wanted to put .anyway

but mike don't u think that the argument is about how large hotels are better in cold weather .so any answer that strengthens the argument must hint at the fact that large hotels are able to provide better heating. how does "excess capacity" help to provide better heating ?

I found your reasoning sound.. except in option C"
the conclusion is "Therefore, people should not book rooms in small hotels when the weather gets very cold. " base on the premise that "heating requires a lot of electricity"
I think option C) "people spend significantly less time in their room than those who stays in larger rooms" indicates that people who stay in small hotels do not need heading that much comparing to those who stay in large hotels, because they spend significantly less time in their room, and therefore not so much electricity is needed for heating.
so option C obviates the need for the usage of electricity in small hotels for heating in cold weather, so weaken the conclusion

well honestly i will suggest u what Mike has suggested me: leave this question
also as for C there can be different angle by which we can look at this option
the fact the people spends more time in larger hotels puts extra need to the fact that u need that room warmer .hence supporting as why in cold weather people who look for larger rooms
you see "causation" is a beautiful thing !! who knows that the fact the small rooms are cold is actually forcing people to spend less time in those hotels and thus they might be spending more time at workplace or cafes !!

just as an aside: i once lodged so lousy hotel in Cairo (suez canal) that i was forced to spend more time at my office and at pyramid sites (though i had no interest). but i guess i did so because staying in that hotel was even more torturous !!

Option C is a clear weakener here (atleast IMHO).. If people in smaller hotels spend significantly less time in their rooms than that spent by people in larger hotels, that explains why the electricity usage is lower..

Solution:
Although I do have a doubt, why not E?

To prove AND cross out any option that = Small hotels not good in cold weather

A - + for Large hotels - CROSS OUT

B - The only +ve small hotels had has been nullified so now larger hotels are better - CROSS OUT

D - Larger have excess capacity so price might be less - CROSS OUT

E - people booking eco-friendly rooms v/s people who dont - both equally likely to save electricity

C - not affecting the conclusion in these ways so stronger - ANSWER

I got the official answer:
</bold> Official Explanation </bold>

The argument states that people should not book rooms in small hotels during cold weather because such hotels might not provide heating. The support for the heating portion comes from a comparison of electricity usage in similar rooms in small and larger hotels.

A - If larger hotels use less electricity to heat their rooms, and the difference in electricity usage still exists, then it is more likely that small hotels do not provide heating. This option would have been possible if it had asserted that small hotels use more efficient heating, because that could have been a possible explanation for the difference in electricity usage.

B - If the same lighting technology is used by both types of hotels, it is more likely that the difference in electricity usage is attributable to the presence (or absence) of heating.

C - Correct. If people spend less time in their rooms (in small hotels), it is possible that the reason for the lower electricity usage in small hotels is not the lack of heating.

D - If rooms are not available in larger hotels, that could weaken the conclusion that people should not book rooms in small hotels. By providing us the opposite, this option strengthens the conclusion.

E - Similarly, if people who use small hotels are not more likely to try to save electricity, it is more likely that the difference in electricity usage is attributable to the presence (or absence) of heating.