Several energy alternative research programs have recently suffered a

Question

Several energy alternative research programs have recently suffered a variety of setbacks, particularly among larger scale research programs. Those larger scale failures also tend to involve a greater financial loss. Therefore, larger scale research programs should be phased out in favor of multiple smaller ones.

Which one of the following, if true, provides the most support for the reasoning above?

A. Larger scale energy research programs are more likely to uncover a relevant breakthrough, while smaller projects can investigate more aspects of energy generation and storage, though less thoroughly.
B. It is just as easy to adjust, and even abandon small programs as it is with large ones. 
C. The cost of starting a new energy research program increases every year.
D. Project planners tend to favor work on smaller programs rather than larger ones. 
E. Larger scale energy research programs are more likely to fail and so correspondingly involve greater financial risk than a comparably scaled collection of smaller programs.

STRENGTHEN QUESTION SERIES Question 1 Several Energy Alternative Programs

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 Earn KUDOS!  Post your answer and reasoning why the answer you chose is correct, and why the other 4 options are incorrect within 48 hours of this post.
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STRENGTHEN QUESTION SERIES Question 2 Automobile Collectors

Escalate · Answer

The questn asks to strengthen the reasoning

Conclusion of argument: Large scale programs should be phased out and smaller scale program should take their place.

Fact given: Large scale programs suffer are likely to suffer setbacks and involve greater financial loss

So what I need to make the conclusion more believable: Anything which will compare large scale and small scale programs and establish why small scale is better.

Note nothing is mentioned for small scale program in the argument and this is a hint for me that correct answer choice needs mentioning of smaller scale program

Moving onto options

A. This gives large scale program better serves the purpose. A breakthrough is a more desirable result than some investigations here and there. ELIMINATED

B.Ok so points a similarity between small scale and large scale but does not tell anything why small scale is preferable.ELIMINATED

C. Talks about programs in general.Nothing on the lines we are looking.At best can act as a weakner as cost of starting every new program is more so shutting large scale and opening small scale can prove costly. ELIMINATED

D. Ok. Does not support anything which can make one feel that small scale is advantageous over large scale.They tend to favour work may be because of personal reasons who knows. ELIMINATED

E.This is what we are looking for.A comparison showing why small scale is superior to large scale. CORRECT CHOICE

ENGRTOMBA2018 · Answer

Premise: Several energy alternative research programs have recently suffered a variety of setbacks, particularly among larger scale research programs. Those larger scale failures also tend to involve a greater financial loss.

Conclusion: Therefore, larger scale research programs should be phased out in favor of multiple smaller ones.

Ⓐ Larger scale energy research programs are more likely to uncover a relevant breakthrough, while smaller projects can investigate more aspects of energy generation and storage, though less thoroughly.
 Incorrect. Weakens the conclusion that large scale programs should be phased out.

Ⓑ It is just as easy to adjust, and even abandon small programs as it is with large ones. 
 Incorrect. This option shows that it is equally easy to abandon a small program than a large one. This is actually a weakener if anything.

Ⓒ The cost of starting a new energy research program increases every year.
 Incorrect. This option shows that it is more expensive to start a program( be it small or large). This is actually a weakener if anything.

Ⓓ Project planners tend to favor work on smaller programs rather than larger ones. 
 Incorrect. Irrelevant. We dont care about the preferences of project planners.

Ⓔ Larger scale energy research programs are more likely to fail and so correspondingly involve greater financial risk than a comparably scaled collection of smaller programs. 
 Correct. This strengthens the conclusion that large scale programs should be phased out for many smaller ones.

swapyuee · Answer

Several energy alternative research programs have recently suffered a variety of  setbacks , particularly among larger scale research programs. Those larger scale failures also tend to involve a greater  financial loss . Therefore, larger scale research programs should be phased out in favor of multiple smaller ones.

Which one of the following, if true, provides the most support for the reasoning above?

Ⓐ Larger scale energy research programs are more likely to uncover a relevant breakthrough, while smaller projects can investigate more aspects of energy generation and storage, though less thoroughly.
--  We would be interested in it , if we were concerned about breakthroughs .  
Ⓑ It is just as easy to adjust, and even abandon small programs as it is with large ones. 
--  This doesn't give any more of a reason for phasing out the larger scale research programs. 
Ⓒ The cost of starting a new energy research program increases every year.
--  It does the same for small scale research programs.  
Ⓓ Project planners tend to favor work on smaller programs rather than larger ones. 
--  Does the preference of project planner matter in deciding the phase out ? For D to work we need to assume that it does. 
Ⓔ Larger scale energy research programs are more  likely  to fail and so correspondingly involve greater financial risk than a comparably scaled collection of smaller programs.
--   Seems like a restatement. if E is true the reason mentioned in the premise becomes more probable.

so , IMO E ...

EMPOWERgmatVerbal · Answer

STRENGTHEN QUESTION SERIES Question 1

Several energy alternative research programs have recently suffered a variety of setbacks, particularly among larger scale research programs. Those larger scale failures also tend to involve a greater financial loss. Therefore, larger scale research programs should be phased out in favor of multiple smaller ones.

Which one of the following, if true, provides the most support for the reasoning above?

Ⓐ Larger scale energy research programs are more likely to uncover a relevant breakthrough, while smaller projects can investigate more aspects of energy generation and storage, though less thoroughly.
Ⓑ It is just as easy to adjust, and even abandon small programs as it is with large ones. 
Ⓒ The cost of starting a new energy research program increases every year.
Ⓓ Project planners tend to favor work on smaller programs rather than larger ones. 
Ⓔ Larger scale energy research programs are more likely to fail and so correspondingly involve greater financial risk than a comparably scaled collection of smaller programs.

Official Explanation:   
  Question Type  : Strengthen
  Boil It Down   (Simplified & Abbreviated Summary of the Prompt): Larger projects: more failures, bigger loss -> Replace large with many smaller projects 
  Missing Information (assumption)  : Switching to many smaller projects is ultimately better. 
  Goal  :  Find an option that supports the notion that smaller is ultimately better.  The argument does a shockingly poor job of providing evidence that switching to many smaller projects actually is preferable. For all we know, what if it’s only the large scale programs that can yield the most significant breakthroughs?

Let’s see which option best achieves the goal:  
 Ⓐ If larger scale programs are more likely to uncover a relevant breakthrough, that would run counter to the argument that we should switch to a multitude of smaller programs. Additionally, this option even undercuts the utility of smaller projects in stating that even though they can investigate a greater number of aspects, they do so LESS THOROUGHLY. Gone. A 180 option. This option seeks to penalize those who lose track of what the question is asking. People who pick this option do so because they think they’re being asked to weaken.

Ⓑ If we’re trying to strengthen the notion that we should switch from larger programs to smaller programs, how on earth would stating that it’s just as easy to adjust or abandon small programs as it is large programs help? To at least lend some support to the argument, we’d want this option to say that it’s EASIER to adjust or abandon small programs.

Ⓒ This option doesn’t lend support to the argument that we should switch to smaller scale programs if the costs associated with STARTING programs goes up every year. We don’t know how the start-up costs would compare between fewer larger programs, and a greater number of smaller programs. In fact, if start-up costs were similar per program regardless of the size of the program, then this option would actually weaken the argument since it would be more expensive to start a greater number of smaller programs.

Ⓓ Do we know that what project managers prefer matters? No. Whether project managers PREFER small or large scale programs is completely irrelevant to support the notion that switching to a greater number of smaller programs is more advantageous. This is a punishment option for those who make the assumption that preference matters.

Ⓔ Yes. This is our right option. The one thing that this argument lacked is some proof that switching from large scale programs to multiple smaller ones will actually be preferable. This option helps this argument in two specific ways: 1) It specifically spells out that larger scale programs are MORE LIKELY to fail, 2) It also explains that large scale programs entail a greater financial risk than a comparably scaled collection of smaller ones. This option is also careful to spell out that it’s making a fair comparison in terms of size. We can’t just compare a large program to a smaller one. If we’re making the argument that we need to shift from large scaled programs to a greater multitude of smaller ones, a fair comparison would need to compare a large program to an equivalent collection of smaller ones. This option even takes care of that for us.

STRENGTHEN QUESTION SERIES Question 2 Automobile Collectors

shamimtex03 · Answer

Here the conclusion is large scale research programs should be phased out in favor of smaller ones because increased failure + more financial loss. Hence, the author must assume that the replacement in favor of smaller ones would generate less failure + less financial loss than larger programs would. We need to make the conclusion or the assumption more likely . Answer choice E did what we need.

nahid78 · Answer

Several energy alternative research programs have recently suffered a variety of setbacks, particularly among larger scale research programs  --> Premise
 Those larger scale failures also tend to involve a greater financial loss ---> Premise
 Therefore,   larger scale research programs should be phased out in favor of multiple smaller ones. ---> conclusion

we are asked to strengthen the conclusion. so we have to find something that says Large programs are the cause of this loss, or small programs are better than large project.

A)  weaken the conclusion  
B)  irrelevant  
C)  out of scope 
d)  out of scope 
E)  strengthen the conclusion.

So E is the correct answer.

VerbalBot · Answer

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Several energy alternative research programs have recently suffered a

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Several energy alternative research programs have recently suffered a

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