The decline in the restaurant industry has lead to a decrease in the n

"The decline in the restaurant industry has lead to a decrease in the number of positions for new chefs. At the same time, the number of schools offering culinary arts degrees has increased significantly."

The contradiction apparent in the statement above is that the demand for chefs has decreased , yet opportunities to study for the same has increased significantly.
We need to find an explanation that can explain the second statement despite the existence of the first.

An explanation for this may possibly be an alternative reason for the mentioned increase. Or it may be that the decline is perceived to be temporary and a grand revival is expected to happen in the near future.

Let us examine the options.

A. To save costs, many restaurants prefer to hire chefs who do not have a culinary arts degree.
This does not support statement 2. Hence it cannot be the correct answer.

B. Most culinary arts programs are attended by students with at least some prior experience working in restaurants.
This option does not have sufficient information to explain the second statement despite the first. Hence incorrect.

C. Culinary arts programs offer their graduates education in a range in skills, including food preparation, food presentation, menu design, sanitation, dietary planning, and restaurant manage.
This may very well be true but it is not able to address the contradiction.

D. The popularity of gourmet cooking has caused many people to pursue culinary arts degrees to improve their cooking at home.
This goes with our pre-thinking that an alternative reason for people to take up culinary degrees will be able to explain the paradox. Hence this is the correct answer choice.

E. When the restaurant industry slips into a decline, many of its employees find jobs in other industries.
This cannot explain statement 2. Hence not the correct answer.

There fore the correct answer choice is D .

OE says "Imagine the question 'what could explain why culinary arts programs are growing when there are fewer jobs for chefs?' "
Because people pursue culinary degrees to cook at home rather than working in restaurants.

There is no relation between the passage and the answer choices. There is no context for the option D.

Will there be more such GMAT questions? Kindly help... bb Sajjad1994 GMATNinja Magoosh

Is this really a 650 level Question ?

The apparent contradiction here is that despite a decline in the demand for chefs in the restaurant industry, there is an increase in the availability of culinary arts degree programs. To explain this contradiction, we need to find a reason that directly addresses why people are still pursuing culinary arts degrees despite the decline in restaurant positions.

Option D states: "The popularity of gourmet cooking has caused many people to pursue culinary arts degrees to improve their cooking at home."

This option provides a direct explanation for the increase in culinary arts degree programs. Even though the demand for chefs in the restaurant industry has decreased, the popularity of gourmet cooking has led to individuals seeking culinary arts degrees to enhance their cooking skills at home. This trend could explain why more people are enrolling in culinary arts programs despite the decline in traditional restaurant positions.

In essence, option D suggests that the motivation behind pursuing culinary arts degrees has shifted from primarily seeking restaurant employment to acquiring skills for gourmet cooking at home. This directly addresses the apparent contradiction in the statement by offering a reason for the increase in culinary arts degree programs.

Answer: D

Yes! It is a 650-Level Question.

The key is understanding the word "gourmet." As a non-native English speaker, I didn't understand it very intuitively. Gourmet cooking means refined ways of food preparation (at home, as per the text), which explains why this inclination has increased degree enrollment and also explains why the industry is in a downtrend.

None of these things really explains why b doesn't work b has been knowingly framed here as the correct answer notice that the passage is talking about new chefs we need to resolve the paradox about NEW CHEFS


Only b takes into account complete picture despite there being lesser opening for new chefs more people are enrolling because the industry has shifted to catering to experienced people not new chefs.

Please explain why my logic would be wr9bg here and regardless this is definitely a hard question.