At an auction, nobody wants to buy the statue by Alberto Giacometti mo

Question

At an auction, nobody wants to buy the statue by Alberto Giacometti more than Jody, but Jody will not be participating in the bidding, so no matter how much the auctioneers lower the minimum bid not one person will bid on the statue.

The flawed reasoning in the argument above most closely parallels that in which of the following?

(A) The jockey who most wants to ride the horse Black Lightning in the next race is Cornwall, but he suddenly told the owner he could not ride in the next race. This means the other jockeys who had given up hope of riding Black Lightning will double their efforts.

(B) Better than anyone, Larry can spot a forgery of a Renaissance painting, but he has yet to find any flaws in Renny’s painting. So there must be a forgery among the other paintings in his collection.

(C) If anyone can translate this ancient text it is Professor Ricardo, but he is currently engaged in a project to translate a much more significant text and will probably not be interested in doing this smaller project. So we will have to hope that we can find someone of equal stature to take on the translation.

(D) Even though Emilio is the most intent of anyone to obtain the sales position, he is not applying for the position. It follows that nobody else will apply for the sales position no matter how high a salary is being offered.

(E) Sherry wanted to join an extra-credit group project for her science class, but each time they called a meeting she was too busy with cheerleading practice to join them. So, the closer she gets to becoming head cheerleader, the less time she can devote to her studies.

Bunuel · Accepted Answer

OFFICIAL EXPLANATION

Answer: D

STEP 1: Read the question and identify your task.

This is a Parallel question. It asks that you find among the answers a situation that “parallels” the one given.

STEP 2: Read the argument with your task in mind. 
The given situation is that of an auction that Jody is not participating in; because nobody wants to buy the Giacometti statue more than she does, then “not one person” will bid on the statue no matter how low the bidding starts.

STEP 3: Know what you’re looking for. 
Most likely the correct answer will use similar extreme or all-or-nothing terms like “most,” “nobody,” or “not one person” and will create an equally absurd notion. The correct answer will have a similar flawed logic.

STEP 4: Read every word of every answer choice. 
Answer A starts out well, saying that one jockey wants something the “most,” but it breaks down later in the statement because it says the other jockeys will just double their efforts. This is not the all-or-nothing statement you need. Answer B starts off with Larry being the most qualified to spot a forgery, but the rest of the statement is wrong because it says that since one item has no flaws, others must be forgeries. This is not an all-or-nothing result of the first statement. Answer C does not say Professor Ricardo is the only one who can translate the text. It leaves open the possibility that there are others, definitely not an all-or-nothing result. In answer D, Emilio is the “most” intent to get the sales position, and because he is not applying, nobody else will apply no matter how high the salary goes. You have your extreme (“most”) and all-or-nothing result (“nobody else”) words and the statement is equally flawed in logic. This would seem to be your answer, but you must read your last option. In answer E, Sherry is not the most motivated to join the group, and her timing conflicts result in only a gradually worsening situation, not an all-or-nothing situation. The correct choice is answer D.

gmat102021 · Answer

Answer is D as its parallel situation

PikaB · Answer

D brings forth the parallel situation that if One contender doesn't perform an activity then no one else will.

KarishmaB · Answer

Original Argument: Premise: Jody wants the statue the most. Jody will not be bidding. Conclusion: No matter how low the minimum bid is, no one will bid on the statue. The argument is flawed. Jody wants it the most, but she may not be the only one who wants it. So if the minimum bid is kept low enough, it is likely that someone else will bid on it. We need something with a similar flaw. An argument that assumes that the one with the highest rank is the only one. (A) The jockey who most wants to ride the horse Black Lightning in the next race is Cornwall, but he suddenly told the owner he could not ride in the next race. This means the other jockeys who had given up hope of riding Black Lightning will double their efforts. Cornwall wants to ride Black Lightning the most. Cornwall will not ride. So other jockeys will double their effort. This is not the same as our original argument. For it to be the same, the conclusion should have been that no one will ride Black Lightning. (B) Better than anyone, Larry can spot a forgery of a Renaissance painting, but he has yet to find any flaws in Renny’s painting. So, there must be a forgery among the other paintings in his collection. Larry is the best at spotting forgery. He hasn’t found any flaws yet. So, one of his other paintings must be a forgery. As we can see the argument structure is not the same as our original argument. (C) If anyone can translate this ancient text it is Professor Ricardo, but he is currently engaged in a project to translate a much more significant text and will probably not be interested in doing this smaller project. So, we will have to hope that we can find someone of equal stature to take on the translation. Ricardo is the most qualified to translate this text. Ricardo will not translate it. So, we hope to find someone else to translate it. Again, the conclusion is not flawed in the way our original argument’s conclusion is. If it were, it should have been “no one else will translate it”. (D) Even though Emilio is the most intent of anyone to obtain the sales position, he is not applying for the position. It follows that nobody else will apply for the sales position no matter how high a salary is being offered. Emilio is the most intent. Emilio is not applying. So, no matter how much money is offered, no one else will apply. This matches our original argument very well. Correct. (E) Sherry wanted to join an extra-credit group project for her science class, but each time they called a meeting she was too busy with cheerleading practice to join them. So, the closer she gets to becoming head cheerleader, the less time she can devote to her studies. It is the not the same structure. To start with, Sherry is not best at extra-credit group project. Hence, no point evaluating it any more. Answer (D) Discussion on Mimic Questions: https://youtu.be/dHU17plF2mc

At an auction, nobody wants to buy the statue by Alberto Giacometti mo

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At an auction, nobody wants to buy the statue by Alberto Giacometti mo

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