Last visit was: 19 Nov 2025, 10:09 It is currently 19 Nov 2025, 10:09
Home
GMAT
Messages
Tests
Schools
Events
Rewards
Chat
My Profile
Close
GMAT Club Daily Prep
Thank you for using the timer - this advanced tool can estimate your performance and suggest more practice questions. We have subscribed you to Daily Prep Questions via email.

Customized
for You

we will pick new questions that match your level based on your Timer History

Track
Your Progress

every week, we’ll send you an estimated GMAT score based on your performance

Practice
Pays

we will pick new questions that match your level based on your Timer History
Not interested in getting valuable practice questions and articles delivered to your email? No problem, unsubscribe here.
Go to My Error Log Learn more
Close
Request Expert Reply
Confirm Cancel
Back to Forum
Create Topic
   1   2 
User avatar
Mavisdu1017
User avatar
Joined: 10 Aug 2021
Last visit: 04 Jan 2023
Posts: 360
Own Kudos:
46
Given Kudos: 226
Posts: 360
Kudos: 46
The recording industry is fighting a losing battle: it simply does not 08 Apr 2022, 06:39
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
IanStewart
Mavisdu1017

IanStewart Sorry expert I don’t agree with your explanation. If a small minority of individuals responsible for the majority illegal case, and exactly these minority of individuals are sued and charged (as the passage says the number of individuals who will be charged with a crime is so limite), it will have a significant impact (but not minimal impact) on the number of people who downloaded illegally. This ideed addresses to the the number of people but not the the number of downloads. Mind to explain further? Thanks

I agree that charging the minority who do most of the downloading could have a significant affect on the amount of downloading. But I don't follow why you conclude that will have a significant impact on the number of people downloading.

If there are 100 people who download illegally, and 1 person is responsible for 90% of the illegal downloads, and the other 99 people are only responsible for 10%, then if you charge that 1 person, you'll reduce the amount of illegal downloading by 90%. But you'll only reduce the number of downloaders by 1%, because the other 99 people will still be downloading, and it's the number of downloaders the question asks about (here I'm assuming that the person stops downloading if they're prosecuted).
Show more

IanStewart It’s clear and much thanks for your example.
User avatar
Mavisdu1017
User avatar
Joined: 10 Aug 2021
Last visit: 04 Jan 2023
Posts: 360
Own Kudos:
46
Given Kudos: 226
Posts: 360
Kudos: 46
The recording industry is fighting a losing battle: it simply does not 08 Apr 2022, 07:01
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
IanStewart
Mavisdu1017

IanStewart Sorry expert I don’t agree with your explanation. If a small minority of individuals responsible for the majority illegal case, and exactly these minority of individuals are sued and charged (as the passage says the number of individuals who will be charged with a crime is so limite), it will have a significant impact (but not minimal impact) on the number of people who downloaded illegally. This ideed addresses to the the number of people but not the the number of downloads. Mind to explain further? Thanks

I agree that charging the minority who do most of the downloading could have a significant effect on the amount of downloading. But I don't follow why you conclude that will have a significant impact on the number of people downloading.

If there are 100 people who download illegally, and 1 person is responsible for 90% of the illegal downloads, and the other 99 people are only responsible for 10%, then if you charge that 1 person, you'll reduce the amount of illegal downloading by 90%. But you'll only reduce the number of downloaders by 1%, because the other 99 people will still be downloading, and it's the number of downloaders the question asks about (here I'm assuming that the person stops downloading if they're prosecuted).

edit: fixed a typo (I wrote "affect" instead of "effect")
Show more

IanStewart it’s clear and much thanks for your example.
User avatar
krndatta
User avatar
Joined: 09 Feb 2020
Last visit: 17 Oct 2024
Posts: 383
Own Kudos:
44
Given Kudos: 433
Location: India
Posts: 383
Kudos: 44
The recording industry is fighting a losing battle: it simply does not 08 Apr 2022, 08:07
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
AndrewN

I read your earlier thread of sticking to the official questions.
But since I was so engrossed in this one too that I couldn't resist to ask.

I want you to share your reasoning for options B and C. Both seem a fine choice to me.
My reasoning is below. May be you can evaluate the same and share your two cents.

Option B:-
Variance Test:-
Yes, a small number is responsible for the majority of illegal song downloads, then doesn't this weaken the claim that the recording industry won't have a minimal impact.
On the other hand, if we take a No a small minority is not responsible but a larger majority is responsible then the impact will be minimal.

Option C:-
Yes, many individuals who download music share their files with other internet users then the impact won't be minimal, but if they don't share then the impact would be minimal.

Both are looking correct answers to me :P
Please evaluate where am I going wrong.
avatar
AndrewN
avatar
Volunteer Expert
Joined: 16 May 2019
Last visit: 29 Mar 2025
Posts: 3,502
Own Kudos:
7,511
 [1]
Given Kudos: 500
Expert
Expert reply
Posts: 3,502
Kudos: 7,511
 [1]
The recording industry is fighting a losing battle: it simply does not 09 Apr 2022, 09:07
1
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
krndatta
AndrewN

I read your earlier thread of sticking to the official questions.
But since I was so engrossed in this one too that I couldn't resist to ask.

I want you to share your reasoning for options B and C. Both seem a fine choice to me.
My reasoning is below. May be you can evaluate the same and share your two cents.

Option B:-
Variance Test:-
Yes, a small number is responsible for the majority of illegal song downloads, then doesn't this weaken the claim that the recording industry won't have a minimal impact.
On the other hand, if we take a No a small minority is not responsible but a larger majority is responsible then the impact will be minimal.

Option C:-
Yes, many individuals who download music share their files with other internet users then the impact won't be minimal, but if they don't share then the impact would be minimal.

Both are looking correct answers to me :P
Please evaluate where am I going wrong.
Show more
Hello, krndatta. I am satisfied with the responses provided above by IanStewart and Bunuel, not to mention others by non-Experts that touch on how (B) and (C) focus on downloads, rather than on the number of people who illegally download music, per the argument. You may want to study these types of answer choices that invoke quantitative measures—a small minority, the majority, many, and so on—so that you can see just how frequently GMAC™ likes to pull the wool over our eyes. Bottom line: if the content of an answer choice is something other than what a conclusion may touch on, then that answer choice is most likely off-topic. (Again, you still have to think matters through.)

- Andrew
User avatar
BIGDAMNGOD
User avatar
Joined: 20 Mar 2020
Last visit: 12 Jul 2025
Posts: 92
Own Kudos:
310
Given Kudos: 95
Location: India
Schools: Stern '25 CBS '25 Fuqua '25 Kellogg '25 Cornell '25 Yale '25
GMAT 1: 710 Q49 V38
GPA: 4
Schools: Stern '25 CBS '25 Fuqua '25 Kellogg '25 Cornell '25 Yale '25
GMAT 1: 710 Q49 V38
Posts: 92
Kudos: 310
The recording industry is fighting a losing battle: it simply does not 26 Dec 2022, 21:48
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
GMATNinja RonPurewal
AndrewN

gmatguruNY

I am having some trouble identifying the main conclusion of the argument.

Final conclusion according to me is - 1. "The recording industry is fighting a losing battle"
However, I can see that the final conclusion per OE is - 2. "Because X, the actions of the recording industry will have a minimal impact on the
number of people who illegally download music"

I used the therefore test -

Is 1 because of 2, or is 2 because of 1 -

1 because of 2 makes much more sense and hence had some difficulties marking the correct answer.

Can any one please explain why are we considering 2 and not 1 as the final conclusion.
User avatar
IN2MBB2PE
User avatar
Joined: 20 Aug 2020
Last visit: 17 Feb 2024
Posts: 130
Own Kudos:
35
Given Kudos: 82
Posts: 130
Kudos: 35
The recording industry is fighting a losing battle: it simply does not 12 Jan 2023, 07:43
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
AndrewN / IanStewart - How to identify the [C] of this argument.

I identified the [C]: the actions of the recording industry will have a minimal impact on the number of people who illegally download music.

But it seems to be an "intermediate [C], given it supports the main [C]: The recording industry is fighting a losing battle

Please correct me. I got this question correct by identifying that the " the actions of the recording industry will have a minimal impact on the number of people who illegally download music" is the main [C] but I am not convinced if that is the case ....
User avatar
IanStewart
User avatar
GMAT Tutor
Joined: 24 Jun 2008
Last visit: 18 Nov 2025
Posts: 4,145
Own Kudos:
10,988
 [1]
Given Kudos: 99
Expert
Expert reply
Posts: 4,145
Kudos: 10,988
 [1]
The recording industry is fighting a losing battle: it simply does not 12 Jan 2023, 08:00
1
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
IN2MBB2PE
How to identify the [C] of this argument.

I identified the [C]: the actions of the recording industry will have a minimal impact on the number of people who illegally download music.

But it seems to be an "intermediate [C], given it supports the main [C]: The recording industry is fighting a losing battle

Please correct me. I got this question correct by identifying that the " the actions of the recording industry will have a minimal impact on the number of people who illegally download music" is the main [C] but I am not convinced if that is the case ....
Show more

I think you're right -- the main conclusion of the argument is really "the industry is fighting a losing battle", but the answer choices address the intermediate conclusion about "the number of people" downloading music. So it really should be more carefully worded, to make it clear just exactly what conclusion we're meant to evaluate. It's a prep company question, and while I'd say it's a genuinely useful practice question (unlike most prep company Verbal questions, which aren't even worth looking at), it isn't as careful about structure as an official question would be.
User avatar
IN2MBB2PE
User avatar
Joined: 20 Aug 2020
Last visit: 17 Feb 2024
Posts: 130
Own Kudos:
35
Given Kudos: 82
Posts: 130
Kudos: 35
The recording industry is fighting a losing battle: it simply does not 14 Jan 2023, 07:28
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
IanStewart
IN2MBB2PE
How to identify the [C] of this argument.

I identified the [C]: the actions of the recording industry will have a minimal impact on the number of people who illegally download music.

But it seems to be an "intermediate [C], given it supports the main [C]: The recording industry is fighting a losing battle

Please correct me. I got this question correct by identifying that the " the actions of the recording industry will have a minimal impact on the number of people who illegally download music" is the main [C] but I am not convinced if that is the case ....

I think you're right -- the main conclusion of the argument is really "the industry is fighting a losing battle", but the answer choices address the intermediate conclusion about "the number of people" downloading music. So it really should be more carefully worded, to make it clear just exactly what conclusion we're meant to evaluate. It's a prep company question, and while I'd say it's a genuinely useful practice question (unlike most prep company Verbal questions, which aren't even worth looking at), it isn't as careful about structure as an official question would be.
Show more

Thanks Ian, it makes sense now!
avatar
testtango
avatar
Joined: 29 Mar 2022
Last visit: 24 Jun 2024
Posts: 11
Own Kudos:
6
Given Kudos: 256
Posts: 11
Kudos: 6
The recording industry is fighting a losing battle: it simply does not 22 May 2023, 02:01
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
IanStewart AndrewN sir, I understand why B is the correct choice but in E I am confused regarding the usage of "alter the behaviour", I mean we don't know how will threat of prosecution "alter" ? like in a positive or negative manner. what if these downloaders gets more notorious and even starts downloading more or expands their community? In that case this choice will fall apart. Had it been given that surely threat of prosecution will make these downloaders NOT download anymore then it would have made perfect sense without any confusion.

Any thoughts?
User avatar
IanStewart
User avatar
GMAT Tutor
Joined: 24 Jun 2008
Last visit: 18 Nov 2025
Posts: 4,145
Own Kudos:
10,988
 [1]
Given Kudos: 99
Expert
Expert reply
Posts: 4,145
Kudos: 10,988
 [1]
The recording industry is fighting a losing battle: it simply does not 22 May 2023, 04:23
1
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
KarMishh
I understand why B is the correct choice but in E I am confused regarding the usage of "alter the behaviour", I mean we don't know how will threat of prosecution "alter" ? like in a positive or negative manner. what if these downloaders gets more notorious and even starts downloading more or expands their community? In that case this choice will fall apart.
Show more

The correct choice is E, not B. It seems unlikely to me that the threat of prosecution would make someone more likely, rather than less, to download illegally, but remember what we're trying to do here. We want to know which question, if answered, would most help us evaluate the truth of the conclusion. If we got the answer to question E, and the answer was "yes, the threat of prosecution will make people more likely to download illegally", then we learn that the conclusion is false: the threat of prosecution will have an "impact on the number of people who illegally download music." It would just be an "impact" in the opposite direction from what the music industry wants. So even if that turned out to be the answer to the question posed in choice E, it would still help us evaluate the conclusion, and E would still be a good answer to this CR question.
User avatar
VerbalBot
User avatar
Non-Human User
Joined: 01 Oct 2013
Last visit: 04 Jan 2021
Posts: 18,830
Own Kudos:
986
Posts: 18,830
Kudos: 986
The recording industry is fighting a losing battle: it simply does not 02 Aug 2025, 05:33
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
Hello from the GMAT Club VerbalBot!

Thanks to another GMAT Club member, I have just discovered this valuable topic, yet it had no discussion for over a year. I am now bumping it up - doing my job. I think you may find it valuable (esp those replies with Kudos).

Want to see all other topics I dig out? Follow me (click follow button on profile). You will receive a summary of all topics I bump in your profile area as well as via email.
   1   2 
Moderators:
GMATNinja
GMAT Club Verbal Expert
7443 posts
GMATNinjaTwo
GMAT Club Verbal Expert
231 posts
miag
189 posts