MPRS22
Another question for you
AndrewNHow can we know in C that all gases will decay into progeny. If we don't know this the explanation offered by
egmat falls apart because we can no longer say whether there is an increase in progeny gases.
Thanks
and congrats on reaching 2000 posts
Hello,
MPRS22. With all due respect to
e-GMAT, I am not keen on the question. At the same time, I do not like to be quick to bash the hard work of others. Some people have said above that Progeny is unstable. That may seem intuitive, but the passage only tells us that
radon is unstable and breaks down into Progeny. (B) broaches the topic that Progeny may itself undergo a conversion. I have looked at the OA, and I think the
whether framework of the answer choices leaves more room for debate than the question-writer(s) intended. That is, instead of two sub-considerations, i. and ii.,
whether opens the door to i., ii., iii., and iv., if not more—
i. whether Progeny is stable
ii. whether Progeny is unstable (not necessarily the same as not being stable)
iii. whether Progeny gets converted to some other gas at a constant rate
iv. whether Progeny does not get converted to some other gas at all
v. whether Progeny gets converted to some other gas, but not at a constant rate
The answers to these considerations would provide a much more focused framework within which to evaluate the method, as the question asks us to do. Meanwhile, the mention of
all gases in (C) is too broad. We are interested in radon, not in every other gas. We simply would not need to know about all gases to evaluate the method.
In the end, I can see what the question is driving at—there are parts of both (B) and (C) that I like—but I am not satisfied with it as written. Learn what you can from it, but I will reiterate that if you want to be your best at Verbal, stick to official questions.
- Andrew