Events & Promotions
|
|
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
Track
Your Progress
Practice
Pays
Not interested in getting valuable practice questions and articles delivered to your email? No problem, unsubscribe here.
Nov 1912:30 PM EST
-01:30 PM EST
Learn how Keshav, a Chartered Accountant, scored an impressive 705 on GMAT in just 30 days with GMATWhiz's expert guidance. In this video, he shares preparation tips and strategies that worked for him, including the mock, time management, and more
Nov 2007:30 AM PST
-08:30 AM PST
Learn what truly sets the UC Riverside MBA apart and how it helps in your professional growth
Nov 2001:30 PM EST
-02:30 PM IST
Learn how Kamakshi achieved a GMAT 675 with an impressive 96th %ile in Data Insights. Discover the unique methods and exam strategies that helped her excel in DI along with other sections for a balanced and high score.
Nov 2211:00 AM IST
-01:00 PM IST
Do RC/MSR passages scare you? e-GMAT is conducting a masterclass to help you learn – Learn effective reading strategies Tackle difficult RC & MSR with confidence Excel in timed test environment- Nov 23
11:00 AM IST
-01:00 PM IST
Attend this free GMAT Algebra Webinar and learn how to master the most challenging Inequalities and Absolute Value problems with ease. 
Nov 2407:00 PM PST
-08:00 PM PST
Full-length FE mock with insightful analytics, weakness diagnosis, and video explanations!
Nov 2510:00 AM EST
-11:00 AM EST
Prefer video-based learning? The Target Test Prep OnDemand course is a one-of-a-kind video masterclass featuring 400 hours of lecture-style teaching by Scott Woodbury-Stewart, founder of Target Test Prep and one of the most accomplished GMAT instructors.
avohden
Joined: 09 Jul 2013
Last visit: 14 Mar 2015
Posts: 406
Given Kudos: 630
Status:1,750 Q's attempted and counting
Affiliations: University of Florida
Location: United States (FL)
Schools: Warrington (A)
GMAT 1: 570 Q42 V28
GMAT 2: 610 Q44 V30
GMAT 3: 600 Q45 V29
GMAT 4: 590 Q35 V35
GPA: 3.45
WE:Accounting (Accounting)
28 Nov 2013, 20:59
Kudos
Bookmarks
D
Be sure to select an answer first to save it in the Error Log before revealing the correct answer (OA)!
Difficulty:
5%
(low)
Question Stats:
91% (01:06) correct
9%
(01:31)
wrong
based on 906
sessions
History
Date
Time
Result
Not Attempted Yet
A large pharmaceutical company has recently developed an antibiotic that has been shown to be highly effective at treating a variety of infections. The drug is obtained from the scales of the rare tutu fish, which is only found in the wild living in the reefs off Sando Island in the South Pacific. Since it takes the scales from 1,000 fish to make a single kilogram of the antibiotic, it follows that continued production of the drug will lead to the extinction of the tutu fish.
Which of the following, if true, most seriously weakens the argument above?
(A) The antibiotic made from the tutu fish's scales is only available by prescription.
(B) Because tutu fish are rare, they are also expensive.
(C) The inhabitants of Sando Island regard the meat of the tutu fish as a delicacy.
(D) Tutu fish breed well in captivity, and can be cultivated on fish farms.
(E) Sando Island is difficult to reach since it does not have an airstrip.
Which of the following, if true, most seriously weakens the argument above?
(A) The antibiotic made from the tutu fish's scales is only available by prescription.
(B) Because tutu fish are rare, they are also expensive.
(C) The inhabitants of Sando Island regard the meat of the tutu fish as a delicacy.
(D) Tutu fish breed well in captivity, and can be cultivated on fish farms.
(E) Sando Island is difficult to reach since it does not have an airstrip.
30 Nov 2013, 15:43
Kudos
Bookmarks
avohden
This is a Conclusion Weakening Question and thus we need to find an answer choice that will undermine the conclusion. The argument states that the new, effective antibiotic is obtained from scales of a rare fish. To obtain 1kg of the drug we need 1000 fish. Conclusion: the production of the drug will result in the extinction of this species of fish.
The conclusion will not hold, if, for example, the fish multiples quickly enough for its population not to be influenced by the production of the drug.
Answers A, B, C and E are out of scope. The way we obtain the antibiotic (A), the way the inhabitants perceive the fish meat (C), the price of the fish (B) and the means of transport we need to use to reach the island (E) are all irrelevant since they have no direct influence on the breeding of the fish. Only answer D gives a valid explanation why the fish will not become extinct.
Helium
Joined: 08 Jun 2013
Last visit: 01 Jun 2020
Posts: 454
Own Kudos:
Given Kudos: 118
Location: France
Schools: INSEAD Jan '19
GMAT 1: 200 Q1 V1
GPA: 3.82
WE:Consulting (Other)
24 Sep 2018, 17:30
Kudos
Bookmarks
The words "most seriously weakens" indicate that this is a Weaken question. The correct choice will make it less likely that the conclusion follows from the stated evidence.
The conclusion of the argument is easy to spot since the author uses the phrase "it follows that." The author believes the tutu fish will become extinct if production of the drug made from its scales continues. The evidence is that the fish is rare and that 1,000 are required to make a single kilogram of the new antibiotic.
The central assumption here is that the fish cannot reproduce fast enough to avoid extinction. A weakener will attack the author's assumption. It will suggest how the tutu fish can reproduce fast enough to avoid extinction, even with continued drug production.
(D) attacks the author's assumption and is therefore correct. If the tutu fish can be bred successfully in captivity and cultivated on fish farms, their extinction can be avoided.
(A), (B), and (E) are are all irrelevant to the argument. It does not matter that the antibiotic is available only by prescription, that the fish is expensive, or that Sando Island is difficult to reach. The argument is only concerned with the threat to the fish should drug production be continued, despite any of the factors mentioned in these three choices.
(C) presents a different threat to the fish. The argument is only concerned with the threat posed by production of the drug.
Posted from my mobile device
The conclusion of the argument is easy to spot since the author uses the phrase "it follows that." The author believes the tutu fish will become extinct if production of the drug made from its scales continues. The evidence is that the fish is rare and that 1,000 are required to make a single kilogram of the new antibiotic.
The central assumption here is that the fish cannot reproduce fast enough to avoid extinction. A weakener will attack the author's assumption. It will suggest how the tutu fish can reproduce fast enough to avoid extinction, even with continued drug production.
(D) attacks the author's assumption and is therefore correct. If the tutu fish can be bred successfully in captivity and cultivated on fish farms, their extinction can be avoided.
(A), (B), and (E) are are all irrelevant to the argument. It does not matter that the antibiotic is available only by prescription, that the fish is expensive, or that Sando Island is difficult to reach. The argument is only concerned with the threat to the fish should drug production be continued, despite any of the factors mentioned in these three choices.
(C) presents a different threat to the fish. The argument is only concerned with the threat posed by production of the drug.
Posted from my mobile device
