Forum Home > GMAT > Quantitative > Problem Solving (PS)
Events & Promotions
|
|
GMAT Club Daily Prep
Thank you for using the timer - this advanced tool can estimate your performance and suggest more practice questions. We have subscribed you to Daily Prep Questions via email.
Customized
for You
Track
Your Progress
Practice
Pays
Not interested in getting valuable practice questions and articles delivered to your email? No problem, unsubscribe here.
Dec 1511:00 AM IST
-01:00 PM IST
Attend this free GMAT Algebra Webinar and learn how to master the most challenging Inequalities and Absolute Value problems with ease.
Dec 1410:00 AM EST
-12:00 PM EST
Think a 100% GMAT Verbal score is out of your reach? Target Test Prep will make you think again! Our course uses techniques such as topical study and spaced repetition to maximize knowledge retention and make studying simple and fun.- Dec 14
11:00 AM IST
-01:00 PM IST
Attend this session to learn how to Deconstruct arguments, Pre-Think Author’s Assumptions, and apply Negation Test. 
Dec 1608:00 AM PST
-11:59 PM PST
GMAT Club 12 Days of Christmas is a 4th Annual GMAT Club Winter Competition based on solving questions. This is the Winter GMAT competition on GMAT Club with an amazing opportunity to win over $40,000 worth of prizes!- Dec 17
09:00 AM PST
-10:00 AM PST
Join Manhattan Prep instructor Whitney Garner for a fun—and thorough—review of logic-based (non-math) problems, with a particular emphasis on Data Sufficiency and Two-Parts. - Dec 18
10:00 AM PST
-11:00 AM PST
Here is the essential guide to securing scholarships as an MBA student! In this video, we explore the various types of scholarships available, including need-based and merit-based options.
24 Oct 2019, 08:20
Kudos
Bookmarks
E
Be sure to select an answer first to save it in the Error Log before revealing the correct answer (OA)!
Difficulty:
45%
(medium)
Question Stats:
67% (02:21) correct
33%
(02:27)
wrong
based on 162
sessions
History
Date
Time
Result
Not Attempted Yet
Since the inception of Project Safe Neighborhoods five years ago, which seeks to reduce armed robberies by convincing people to sell their guns to the municipal government, the number of armed robberies has decreased by ten percent nationwide. Simultaneously, there has been a decrease in the number of reports in which convicted criminals are found to be in possession of guns. It is clear that Project Safe Neighborhoods has convinced many individuals not to own guns and thus not to commit armed robberies.
Which of the following, if true, most seriously weakens the conclusion drawn above?
A. Over the course of the last ten years, the number of individuals who commit gun crimes but evade arrest has not increased.
B. The number of guns sold to the government in Project Safe Neighborhoods has been consistent throughout the five years that the program has been in existence.
C. Gun shop owners have reported a decline in patrons seeking to buy guns for legitimate purposes since the inception of the project.
D. Surveys suggest that the majority of people have not been impacted by gun crimes either before or after the inception of the Project Safe Neighborhoods program.
E. Five years ago, a law passed which restricts gun shop owners from selling guns to patrons without a one week waiting period and a background check.
Which of the following, if true, most seriously weakens the conclusion drawn above?
A. Over the course of the last ten years, the number of individuals who commit gun crimes but evade arrest has not increased.
B. The number of guns sold to the government in Project Safe Neighborhoods has been consistent throughout the five years that the program has been in existence.
C. Gun shop owners have reported a decline in patrons seeking to buy guns for legitimate purposes since the inception of the project.
D. Surveys suggest that the majority of people have not been impacted by gun crimes either before or after the inception of the Project Safe Neighborhoods program.
E. Five years ago, a law passed which restricts gun shop owners from selling guns to patrons without a one week waiting period and a background check.
24 Oct 2019, 11:23
Kudos
Bookmarks
The stem says the government started buying back guns, and gun crime decreased. The argument concludes that the buyback program was responsible for the decrease. That might be true, but if we can find another plausible explanation for the decrease, that would weaken the argument. Only E provides such an explanation, so it's the right answer.
Answer C is a bit strange, and could have been correct had no better answer been present; if people are buying fewer guns for some reason unrelated to the program, that could also explain why there is less gun crime. It's hard to tell how the gun shop knows if someone is buying guns "for legitimate purposes" -- it's not like people say "I'd like to buy a gun to hold up a convenience store" when they make their purchase. But if we assume the guns answer C describes are only being used "for legitimate purposes", then C is irrelevant to the argument, since the argument only concerns guns used for illegitimate purposes.
Answer C is a bit strange, and could have been correct had no better answer been present; if people are buying fewer guns for some reason unrelated to the program, that could also explain why there is less gun crime. It's hard to tell how the gun shop knows if someone is buying guns "for legitimate purposes" -- it's not like people say "I'd like to buy a gun to hold up a convenience store" when they make their purchase. But if we assume the guns answer C describes are only being used "for legitimate purposes", then C is irrelevant to the argument, since the argument only concerns guns used for illegitimate purposes.
Moderators:
