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MartyTargetTestPrep
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The general availability of high-quality electronic scanners 11 Feb 2022, 12:15
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vmoa
Hi,

I think answer E is completely incorrect. It contradicts a main premise in the argument.

It says " dots too small to be accurately duplicated by any electronic scanner currently available" There are no current available scanners that can duplicate the "NEW DOTS"

Answer E explains ... since the size of the smallest dots that current electronic scanners can accurately reproduce won't decrease then checks could be counterfeited ?

Incorrect conclusion.
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Notice that choice (E) does not say "currently available." It says "generally available." Those two ideas are quite different from each other.

It's quite possible that "generally available" scanners will be able to duplicate the dots in the future.
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The general availability of high-quality electronic scanners 03 Aug 2022, 12:22
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Why is option C wrong and option E correct? What is the approach to answering this CR?
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The general availability of high-quality electronic scanners 04 Sep 2022, 05:58
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why does the question say "questionable assumption"? I for a minute thought it is an assumption except question. Then by looking at the options I realized there is only one assumption present in the options, hence it must be asking for the assumption. Can we expect such wording in the exam? Please help GMATNinja, KarishmaB
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The general availability of high-quality electronic scanners 04 Sep 2022, 23:51
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Soumanti Roy
why does the question say "questionable assumption"? I for a minute thought it is an assumption except question. Then by looking at the options I realized there is only one assumption present in the options, hence it must be asking for the assumption. Can we expect such wording in the exam? Please help GMATNinja, KarishmaB
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An assumption can be valid or questionable. You will not be asked to take a call on whether it is valid or not. All you have to do is look for an assumption.
A questionable assumption only means that it is an assumption that the plan is taking to be true but normally one would question whether it can be taken to be true. Since technology evolves quickly, it is questionable to assume that in the near future we will not get better scanners, but the plan does assume it.
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The general availability of high-quality electronic scanners 05 Sep 2022, 01:41
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SevaAcharekar
Why is option C wrong and option E correct? What is the approach to answering this CR?
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The argument states that to prevent counterfeiting the banks are introducing new checks with small dots and currently available scanners are not able to scan the dots properly and hence will be unable to counterfeit. So the argument assumes that the scanners that are capable of properly scanning even the small dots would not be developed in the near future. Hence option E is correct. Option C is only talking about the 'smallness' of the dots by saying that the dots are visible only under strong magnification. This fact is already mentioned int the argument - 'checks that contain dots too small'.
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The general availability of high-quality electronic scanners 14 Feb 2025, 23:06
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Hi GMATNinja KarishmaB MartyTargetTestPrep

Can you pls explain why option C is wrong? My understanding is the conclusion is clearly about electronic scanners and counterfeiting so another method shouldn't come into picture. Please correct me if I am wrong.
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The general availability of high-quality electronic scanners 14 Feb 2025, 23:15
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agrasan
Hi GMATNinja KarishmaB MartyTargetTestPrep

Can you pls explain why option C is wrong? My understanding is the conclusion is clearly about electronic scanners and counterfeiting so another method shouldn't come into picture. Please correct me if I am wrong.
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What do you think C actually is saying?
Is it really an assumption?

Quote:

(C) the smallest dots on the proposed checks cannot be distinguished visually except under strong magnification
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To me this is completely irrelevant information. It’s not clear what this means or what kind of implication it has. It just says that the proposed dots will be very small.

This is not an assumption. This is some random fact. That’s why it’s wrong. You can try denying it and see if it breaks the argument.
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The general availability of high-quality electronic scanners 20 Feb 2025, 16:18
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agrasan
Hi GMATNinja KarishmaB MartyTargetTestPrep

Can you pls explain why option C is wrong? My understanding is the conclusion is clearly about electronic scanners and counterfeiting so another method shouldn't come into picture. Please correct me if I am wrong.
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bb is correct: it doesn't matter whether or not we can SEE the smallest dots. What matters is whether or not the dots can be duplicated (without the word "VOID" appearing).

The argument doesn't say anything about the visibility of the dots, so it would be inaccurate to say that the argument relies on (C). That's why we can eliminate it.

I hope that helps a bit!
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The general availability of high-quality electronic scanners 01 Apr 2025, 08:48
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KarishmaB
Soumanti Roy
why does the question say "questionable assumption"? I for a minute thought it is an assumption except question. Then by looking at the options I realized there is only one assumption present in the options, hence it must be asking for the assumption. Can we expect such wording in the exam? Please help GMATNinja, KarishmaB

An assumption can be valid or questionable. You will not be asked to take a call on whether it is valid or not. All you have to do is look for an assumption.
A questionable assumption only means that it is an assumption that the plan is taking to be true but normally one would question whether it can be taken to be true. Since technology evolves quickly, it is questionable to assume that in the near future we will not get better scanners, but the plan does assume it.
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Hi Karishma, could you please help me understand why C is wrong? I got the below ans in some of my notes:

''C. CORRECT.
This tells us that a layman will not be able to distinguish between a counterfeit check and real one as the dots used on the real check will be too tiny for the naked eye to catch.''
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The general availability of high-quality electronic scanners 11 Sep 2025, 03:30
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This is a classic assumption question where we need to identify what the banks' anti-counterfeiting plan assumes that might not hold true. Let me break down the strategic approach.

Step 1: Understand the Plan's Mechanism

The banks will issue checks with dots so tiny that:
  1. Current scanners can't reproduce them accurately
  2. When scanned/copied, the dots blur together to spell "VOID"
  3. This makes counterfeit checks immediately identifiable

Step 2: Identify What Must Be True for the Plan to Work
For this anti-counterfeiting system to remain effective, the technological limitation that makes it work (scanners can't reproduce tiny dots) must persist. If this changes, the entire plan fails.

Step 3: Evaluate Each Answer Choice

Option A Past trends in scanner usage - The plan targets scanner-based counterfeiting regardless of historical trends. Not critical.
Option B Amount preferences of counterfeiters - The dots work the same way whether the check is for $10 or $10,000. Irrelevant to the plan's effectiveness.
Option C Visual distinguishability of dots - The plan relies on scanner limitations, not human visual perception. Not the key assumption.
Option D Cost considerations - While this might affect adoption, it doesn't affect whether the technical solution works. Business issue, not technical.
Option E Future scanner capabilities - This is the critical assumption! The entire plan depends on scanners continuing to be unable to reproduce these tiny dots accurately. Given how rapidly technology advances, assuming scanner resolution won't improve significantly is highly questionable yet absolutely essential for the plan's long-term success.

The Answer: (E)

The key insight here is recognizing that any anti-counterfeiting measure based on current technological limitations is inherently vulnerable to technological advancement.

Want to master the systematic framework for tackling all assumption questions? Check out the complete solution on Neuron by e-GMAT, which reveals 3 alternative approaches and the pattern recognition technique that works across similar CR problems. Access detailed explanations for every Official Guide question!
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