With seventeen casinos, Moneyland operates the most casinos in a certain state. Although intent on expanding, it was outmaneuvered by Apex Casinos in negotiations to acquire the Eldorado chain. To complete its acquisition of Eldorado, Apex must sell five casinos to comply with a state law forbidding any owner to operate more than one casino per county. Since Apex will still be left operating twenty casinos in the state, it will then have the most casinos in the state
Which of the following, if true, most seriously undermines the prediction?
A) Apex, Eldorado, and Moneyland are the only organizations licensed to operate casinos in the state.
B) The majority of Eldorado's casinos in the state will need extensive renovations if they are to continue to operate profitably.
C) Some of the state's counties do not permit casinos.
D) Moneyland already operates casinos in the majority of the state's counties.
E) Apex will use funds it obtains from the sale of the five casinos to help fund its acquisition of the Eldorado chain.
Option A:
Previously Apex + Eldorado = 25 casinos,
After acquisition Apex = 25 (before selling)
After acquisition Moneyland = 17 (before buying)
Total 42 casinos.
There are 5 counties in which Apex and Eldorado both had casinos. Therefore Apex has to sell off those 5 casinos in those 5 counties. Now consider the 6 cases:
Out of those 5 counties, Moneyland could already have a casino in 0,1,2,3,4 or all 5 counties. Following are the 6 cases:
case 1: Apex 20, Moneyland 22, closed down 0. (Moneyland had casino in 0 counties, Apex sells 5 casinos to Moneyland)
case 2: Apex 20, Moneyland 21, closed down 1. (Moneyland had casino in 1 county, Apex sells 4 casinos to Moneyland)
case 3: Apex 20, Moneyland 20, closed down 2. (Moneyland had casino in 2 counties, Apex sells 3 casinos to Moneyland)
case 4: Apex 20, Moneyland 19, closed down 3. (Moneyland had casino in 3 counties, Apex sells 2 casinos to Moneyland)
case 5: Apex 20, Moneyland 18, closed down 4. (Moneyland had casino in 4 counties, Apex sells 1 casino to Moneyland)
case 6: Apex 20, Moneyland 17, closed down 5. (Moneyland had casino in all 5 counties, Apex sells 0 casino to Moneyland)
There are 2 cases (case 1,2), in which Apex does not have the maximum number of casinos. Hence A weakens.
However we can also see that in the last 4 cases (case 3-6), Apex still has the maximum number of casinos. Hence A strengthens the argument.
Now since probability of strengthening is 4 out of 6 and weakening is 2 out of 6, statement A is actually a strengthening type statement, not a weakening type.
There should have been another line in the passage " Moneyland does not have casinos in at least 2 counties in which both Apex and Eldorado have casinos". Then the question is weakening type since then only case 1 and case 2 would be valid. Moreover then it would not be a weakening type, but an inference type question.
Option C: It does not matter whether some counties do not allow casinos. Those counties in any case do not have any casinos and hence do not come into consideration in the above analysis.