The people most likely to watch a televised debate between political

Question

The people most likely to watch a televised debate between political candidates are the most committed members of the electorate and thus the most likely to have already made up their minds about whom to support. Furthermore, following a debate, uncommitted viewers are generally undecided about who won the debate. Hence, winning a televised debate does little to bolster ones chances of winning an election.

The reasoning in the argument is most vulnerable to criticism because the argument fails to consider the possibility that

(A) watching an exciting debate makes people more likely to vote in an election

(B) the voting behavior of people who do not watch a televised debate is influenced by reports about the debate

(C) there are differences of opinion about what constitutes winning or losing a debate

(D) peoples voting behavior may be influenced in unpredictable ways by comments made by the participants in a televised debate

(E) people who are committed to a particular candidate will vote even if their candidate is perceived as having lost a televised debate

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Official Answer

B

KarishmaB · Accepted Answer

One of those questions in which focusing on the conclusion is extremely important (I admit it is important in most questions!)

Premises:
People most likely to watch the debate are those who have already made up their mind (so candidate wins/loses is irrelevant to them)
Uncommitted viewers are generally undecided about who won the debate. So winning doesn't lead to these viewers voting for the winning candidate.

Conclusion: Winning a televised debate does little to bolster ones chances of winning an election.

We need to weaken it. The conclusion says winning debate doesn't do much to increase chances of winning the election. We need to show how "winning the debate could increase one's chances of winning the election". What is it that we failed to consider? What is it that shows that "winning the debate could increase one's chances of winning the election".

(A) watching an exciting debate makes people more likely to vote in an election

We are talking about the people who watched the debate. If they were committed, they already knew who to vote for. If they were uncommitted, they couldn't figure out who won. Hence, even if more of them vote, will they vote for the winning candidate, we can't say. Either they were already committed or couldn't make out who won. So winning doesn't help.

(B) the voting behavior of people who do not watch a televised debate is influenced by reports about the debate.

Ok, so there are reports about the debate and win/loss. The voting behaviour of people who do not watch the debate could be influenced by publishing of a win. Hence, winning could help tilt the scale in the winner's favour. So winning could increase chances of winning the election. Correct.

(C) there are differences of opinion about what constitutes winning or losing a debate

Whether winning is tightly defined is irrelevant. Anyway, the argument says winning doesn't help. So this option doesn't say that winning helps.

(D) peoples voting behavior may be influenced in unpredictable ways by comments made by the participants in a televised debate

Here is the trick in this option - unpredictable ways by comments. This option says that comments (whether winner makes or loser is irrelevant) could make people behave in an unpredictable manner (whether they vote for winner or not, we cannot say). Hence, it doesn't say that "winning the debate" could help in any way.

(E) people who are committed to a particular candidate will vote even if their candidate is perceived as having lost a televised debate
This essentially says what the argument says. Hence it doesn't weaken the argument.

Answer (B)

wiilwaal · Answer

It's D!
The argument fails to consider that people who are committed to a particular candidate can change their vote due to unforeseen circumstances!

holidevil · Answer

I discarded B because it talks of people not watching the debate. The passage is more about the people watching the debate. New Information is added that provides the current analysis wrong. Good Question.

b2bt · Answer

First in you mind be clear what you have to negate.

Statement - Hence, winning a televised debate does little to bolster one's chances of winning an election
We have to prove that winning a debate will help the candidate to get some more votes

A) watching the debate make people to vote -  very close. hold it 
B) the voting behaviour of people who do not watch debate, depends on the reports of debate. -  Agian close 
C) there are differences of what consititutes winning or losing the debate -  it hardly matters to me. I want to know if winning will help the candidate. 
D)people's voting behaviour may be influenced in unpredictable ways by comments made by the participants in a televised debate -  Okay...I have already read commited people will vote to thier candidates they have decided and uncommited once are undecided about who won. This sentence is confusing let me read my STATEMENT again. Oops I'm concerned about how winning a debate can help a candidate. Morever, the word may be in sentence makes it all the more irrelevant 
E) People who a commited will vote the candidate they decided even if he loses. -  This was given in question itself. so no use for me. Anyways I'm concerned about winning.

Lets get back to A) and B)
A) If this were true, more people would vote and may vote to the candidate who won the debate. Wait...they haven't written who the new voters will vote. Maybe this will help me negate this one. Lets go to B)

B) Okay it talks about voting behaviour and reports based on the debate.

E.g. If I'm Barack Obama...candidate for President. If I win the debate on television. Someone reads the report in morning and will have a change in his voting behaviour.

According to me B) is way stronger than A)

@holidevil Although it talks about "people who do not watch debate" it is not alien.

An alien (out of scope) is like
F) The candidate may speak about somehing controversial during the debate

Think about this are we concerned about what a candidate says in a debate? Nope we care about winning.

dave13 · Answer

The people most likely to watch a televised debate between political candidates are the most committed members of the electorate and thus the most likely to have already made up their minds about whom to support. Furthermore, following a debate, uncommitted viewers are generally undecided about who won the debate. Hence, winning a televised debate does little to bolster ones chances of winning an election.

The reasoning in the argument is most vulnerable to criticism because the argument fails to consider the possibility that

(A) watching an exciting debate makes people more likely to vote in an election

(B) the voting behavior of people who do not watch a televised debate is influenced by reports about the debate

(C) there are differences of opinion about what constitutes winning or losing a debate

(D) peoples voting behavior may be influenced in unpredictable ways by comments made by the participants in a televised debate

(E) people who are committed to a particular candidate will vote even if their candidate is perceived as having lost a televised debate

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Official Answer

B

) (B) the voting behavior of people who do not watch a televised debate is influenced by reports about the debate ( true if commentators influence voting behavior of commentators, so if someone wins commentator will scream

CORRECT. (C) there are differences of opinion about what constitutes winning or losing a debate ( not comcened with different opinions) (D) peoples voting behavior may be influenced in unpredictable ways by comments made by the participants in a televised debate ( unpredictable comments could have unpreducatble results

so out of scope) (E) people who are committed to a particular candidate will vote even if their candidate is perceived as having lost a televised debate ( this is is neutral option. so out of scope)

Crytiocanalyst · Answer

(A) watching an exciting debate makes people more likely to vote in an election
That may be the case we have no idea however whether it will be positively or negatively influence the same

(B) the voting behavior of people who do not watch a televised debate is influenced by reports about the debate
This can result in a favoured outcome for the viewer who's watching the debate let us hang on to it

(C) there are differences of opinion about what constitutes winning or losing a debate
This cannot influence since people who have already taken a decision is watching the debate

(D) peoples voting behavior may be influenced in unpredictable ways by comments made by the participants in a televised debate
Similar reasoning as C

(E) people who are committed to a particular candidate will vote even if their candidate is perceived as having lost a televised debate
restating the premiseof the argument
Hence IMO B
Thanks

sssanskaar · Answer

A typical GMAT-style question. "Help/Kill a plan"

Option B shows that the televised debate still helps the plan, which is to increase the chances of winning an election.

abhishekmayank · Answer

Although option B is the correct answer, but not the obvious answer :

(B) the voting behavior of people who do not watch a televised debate is influenced by reports about the debate.

1. The voting behavior of people is influenced by  reports  about the debate -  Not influenced by the RESULT (win or loss) of debate

2. The voting behavior of people is influenced -  Influence is not directly translated into Vote for Winner. May be sympathetic attitude of people at large influences in different ways - Vote for Loser

Suruchim12 · Answer

But if the reasoning to not choose A is that we can't say whether or not more votes mean favoring the winner of debate or not how can be assume that the reports of the debate "POSITIVELY' influence the decisions and hence is the right answer?

unraveled · Answer

The people most likely to watch a televised debate between political candidates are the most committed members of the electorate and thus the most likely to have already made up their minds about whom to support. Furthermore, following a debate, uncommitted viewers are generally undecided about who won the debate. Hence, winning a televised debate does little to bolster ones chances of winning an election.

The reasoning in the argument is most vulnerable to criticism because the argument fails to consider the possibility that

(A) watching an exciting debate makes people more likely to vote in an election - WRONG. Just touches the periphery of the aspect that we needed. Big Q is where they vote.

(B) the voting behavior of people who do not watch a televised debate is influenced by reports about the debate - CORRECT. If a candidate wins debate and influences the voters then countering voters who are influenced by reports makes sense otherwise winning or losing debate have no sense. So, it is necessary to know whether are other ways to influence voters.

(C) there are differences of opinion about what constitutes winning or losing a debate - WRONG. Irrelevant.

(D) peoples voting behavior may be influenced in  unpredictable ways  by comments made by the participants in a televised debate - WRONG. Red text simply ruins this choice which is otherwise a good to go for.

(E) people who are committed to a particular candidate will vote even if their candidate is perceived as having lost a televised debate - WRONG. Supports actually.

Answer B.

VerbalBot · Answer

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