Studies show that women make at least half of all car-purchasing decisions. Women notice details that men don’t; for example, women notice drink holders and a back seat that allows them to reach children in child seats. Women are more likely to choose cars based on environmental friendliness. Only a few car models have been designed with women in mind, but these vehicles outsell others by a huge margin.

Which one of the following is most strongly supported by the information in this passage?

•(A) More car manufacturers should work to reduce emissions from their vehicles instead of building large, gas-guzzling vehicles.

•(B) Most purchasers of minivans are women who drive their children to multiple places and thus appreciate the size, safety, and convenience of minivans.

•(C) All car manufacturers should conduct careful market research to determine what their customers want in vehicles.

•(D) Car manufacturers that design cars according to female tastes can earn larger profits than those who do not.

•(E) Because station wagons were very popular with women in the 1970s and 1980s, car manufacturers should make more station wagons to maximize profits.

Source: http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/l ... tions.html

I am not quite convinced with the OA. Shall give my reasons after a few discussions. OA already posted in spoiler. Source link already given here, which has the ans. without any explanation.

Hi aditya8062,

Your reasoning based on the interpretation of CAN as just 'a possibility' instead of 'a certainity' seems too good to be overruled. I appreciate that. Well if this is the reason for considering D, then might as well it be the right ans.

I was split between C and D. Partially because CAN in D seemed to me to be extreme. In a scenario where, there are 80 out of 100 cars are being sold as per female tastes but total profit margin is less than the total profit margin of the remaining 20 cars, then option D stands to be ruled out, I suppose...bearing this scenario in mind I had ruled out D...but coming again the answer D may hold if the connotation of CAN, as you have pointed out, points out to a 'possible event' and not a 'certain event'.

Just for further clarification, why does C not hold? I mean, is too general?

D is the correct answer because it clearly takes into account the statement that the cars designed as per the tastes of women far outsell the other models & hence the car manufactures could earn handsome profits if they followed the same model going forward.

if you sell more cars, then u r bound to earn more profit. This is what is implied from the information given in the passage.

What their customers want is already sort of specified in the argument. ( child's safety, holders, etc) So doing a market survey wont help you in any definite way because the company would be spending time in knowing what they already know.

Option D says, the company CAN earn profits. It does not say WILL earn profit. You said yourself that profit does not depend on one particular thing, but it neither is impossible.

Hope that helps.

This is inference type question - from the facts given in the passage, one must be able to conclude one of the options given.

There is nothing mentioned about minivans in the passage, therefore one cannot conclusively determine that women are the biggest purchasers of minivans. Hence option B is wrong.

It is true that high sales may not imply profit, but if such vehicle "outsell" others, it is probably true that the demand for such vehicles is higher and thus the manufacturers of these vehicles CAN make profits, if they make correct decisions in marketing strategy, production planning and other critical factors - the passage states an advantage of these vehicles and it is possible to exploit this advantage to earn profit. In option D, the word "can" depicts this possibility, and hence D is the correct option.

In my opinion, this question is debatable and option D is a stretch.
In this context, the word margin does not imply profits. It means there is a huge difference in number of cars sold.

Yes, you are right. However among the options provided, D is by far the best (in spite of the use of the word "profit" rather than the word "revenue"). Please take a look at this explanation:

studies-show-that-women-make-at-least-half-of-all-car-purchasing-decis-180912.html#p1730529