buckkitty wrote:
That the application of new technology can increase the productivity of existing coal mines is demonstrated by the case of Tribnia's coal industry. Coal output per miner in Tribnia is double what it was five years ago, even though no new mines have opened.
Which of the following can be properly concluded from the statement about coal output per miner in the passage?
(A) If the number of miners working in Tribnian coal mines has remained constant in the past five years, Tribnia's total coal production has doubled in that period of time.
(B) Any individual Tribnian coal mine that achieved an increase in overall ouput in the past five years has also experienced an increase in output per miner.
(C) If any new coal mines had opened in Tribnia in the past five years, then the increase in output per miner would have been even greater than it actually was.
(D) If any individual Tribnian coal mine has not increased its output per miner in the past five years, then that mine's overall output has declined or remained constant.
(E) In Tribnia the cost of producing a given quantity of coal has declined over the past five years.
In Tribnia, no new mines have opened.
In 5 yrs, Coal output per miner in Tribnia has doubled.
New technology can increase the productivity of existing coal mines is demonstrated by the case of Tribnia's coal industry
We need an option that must hold true as per this argument.
Coal output/miner has doubled. What does this mean? How do we calculate coal output per miner?
Coal output per miner = Total Coal Output of Tribnia/Total number of miners in Trbinia
If this has doubled, either Total coal output doubled, or total number of miners halved or some combination of both.
Note that output of one mine or number of miners in one mine is irrelevant. We are talking about total output of all mines together in Tribnia and of all miners together in Tribnia.
(A) If the number of miners working in Tribnian coal mines has remained constant in the past five years, Tribnia's total coal production has doubled in that period of time.
Correct. If number of miners is constant, then total coal production must have doubled.
(B) Any individual Tribnian coal mine that achieved an increase in overall ouput in the past five years has also experienced an increase in output per miner.
Individual coal mines are irrelevant. Anything could have happened in one mine. It could have increased its output as well as increased its number of miners such that that output per miner might have stayed same or even reduced.
(C) If any new coal mines had opened in Tribnia in the past five years, then the increase in output per miner would have been even greater than it actually was.
We don't know. If a new mine had opened, total output may have increased but number of miners may have increased much more leading to decrease in output per miner.
(D) If any individual Tribnian coal mine has not increased its output per miner in the past five years, then that mine's overall output has declined or remained constant.
As we said, anything could have happened in an individual mine. If a mine has not increased its output per miner, it is possible that its overall output has increased but number of miners has increased even more. Not correct.
(E) In Tribnia the cost of producing a given quantity of coal has declined over the past five years.
Irrelevant.
Answer (A)
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