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Scoring 715 on the GMAT Focus Edition requires more than just learning formulas, memorizing concepts, or solving hundreds of questions. In this episode, Nishant shares how he improved his GMAT preparation by focusing on application of concepts, and more. 
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Updated on: 29 Mar 2026, 00:11
Originally posted by conquerthegmat on 08 Jun 2024, 18:31.
Last edited by Bunuel on 29 Mar 2026, 00:11, edited 2 times in total.
Last edited by Bunuel on 29 Mar 2026, 00:11, edited 2 times in total.
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Question 1
E
Be sure to select an answer first to save it in the Error Log before revealing the correct answer (OA)!
Difficulty:
55%
(hard)
Question Stats:
60% (03:05) correct
40%
(03:01) wrong
based on 1499
sessions
History
Date
Time
Result
Not Attempted Yet
Question 2
D
Be sure to select an answer first to save it in the Error Log before revealing the correct answer (OA)!
Difficulty:
45%
(medium)
Question Stats:
66% (01:26) correct 34%
(01:48) wrong
based on 1594
sessions
History
Date
Time
Result
Not Attempted Yet
Question 3
A
Be sure to select an answer first to save it in the Error Log before revealing the correct answer (OA)!
Difficulty:
45%
(medium)
Question Stats:
55% (00:53) correct 45%
(00:53) wrong
based on 1567
sessions
History
Date
Time
Result
Not Attempted Yet
Question 4
C
Be sure to select an answer first to save it in the Error Log before revealing the correct answer (OA)!
Difficulty:
55%
(hard)
Question Stats:
54% (01:07) correct 46%
(01:16) wrong
based on 1530
sessions
History
Date
Time
Result
Not Attempted Yet
Most management theorists have long told marketers that the marketing environment is both uncontrollable and inescapable, and that therefore the marketer's critical skill is adapting to that environment. These believers in environmental determinism argue that environmental forces such as government regulation, consumers' changing tastes, and foreign competition are essentially unmanageable. But believers in strategic choice presume that decision makers can affect the environment, for instance by lobbying politicians, running public relations campaigns, and employing other techniques to shape the environment to their advantage.
Advocates of strategic choice point out that many conventional marketing tools have built-in deterministic biases. One such tool, the product life cycle (PLC) concept, occupies a prominent place in marketing theory. It holds that industries, product categories, and individual brands pass through four distinct stages: introduction, growth, maturity, and decline. Proponents prescribe specific strategies for marketing a product at each stage. The PLC concept is an "if-then" strategic tool: if one can identify the stage, then one knows which strategy to use. There is no doubt that PLC prescriptions are appropriate under certain conditions; for example, a company famous for instant-camera technology decided to enter the conventional film market in light of a steady consumer shift away from instant cameras and film, demonstrating the reasonableness of PLC orthodoxy in light of unmanageable environmental forces. But the PLC approach can often result in missed opportunities. PLC wisdom suggests that sales, profit margins, competitive intensity, and appropriate business strategy are all determined by life cycle stages, thus constraining managerial action within narrow limits. According to strategic choice advocates, however, the marketing environment is subject to human manipulation, and therefore business decisions need not be chained to the PLC "if-then" doctrine. For example, a major cereal company nurtured the adult breakfast cereal market despite warnings that cereal sales would level off as the "baby boomer" generation reached adulthood. Ignoring PLC wisdom, company executives decided to encourage the growth of the supposedly no-growth cereal industry by attempting to influence consumer tastes through targeted advertising. As a result, the ready-to-eat cereal market grew considerably within just five years, and the 25- to 49-year-old segment of the market increased by 26 percent.
Advocates of strategic choice point out that many conventional marketing tools have built-in deterministic biases. One such tool, the product life cycle (PLC) concept, occupies a prominent place in marketing theory. It holds that industries, product categories, and individual brands pass through four distinct stages: introduction, growth, maturity, and decline. Proponents prescribe specific strategies for marketing a product at each stage. The PLC concept is an "if-then" strategic tool: if one can identify the stage, then one knows which strategy to use. There is no doubt that PLC prescriptions are appropriate under certain conditions; for example, a company famous for instant-camera technology decided to enter the conventional film market in light of a steady consumer shift away from instant cameras and film, demonstrating the reasonableness of PLC orthodoxy in light of unmanageable environmental forces. But the PLC approach can often result in missed opportunities. PLC wisdom suggests that sales, profit margins, competitive intensity, and appropriate business strategy are all determined by life cycle stages, thus constraining managerial action within narrow limits. According to strategic choice advocates, however, the marketing environment is subject to human manipulation, and therefore business decisions need not be chained to the PLC "if-then" doctrine. For example, a major cereal company nurtured the adult breakfast cereal market despite warnings that cereal sales would level off as the "baby boomer" generation reached adulthood. Ignoring PLC wisdom, company executives decided to encourage the growth of the supposedly no-growth cereal industry by attempting to influence consumer tastes through targeted advertising. As a result, the ready-to-eat cereal market grew considerably within just five years, and the 25- to 49-year-old segment of the market increased by 26 percent.
1. Which of the following is mentioned in the passage as an advantage of the PLC marketing concept?
A. It encourages decision makers to nurture seemingly no-growth markets.
B. It breaks the product life cycle into four distinct stages.
C. It generates new marketing strategies by using an "if-then" approach.
D. It exploits the fact that marketing opportunities are constrained by controllable forces.
E. It provides guidelines that are beneficial in some situations.
A. It encourages decision makers to nurture seemingly no-growth markets.
B. It breaks the product life cycle into four distinct stages.
C. It generates new marketing strategies by using an "if-then" approach.
D. It exploits the fact that marketing opportunities are constrained by controllable forces.
E. It provides guidelines that are beneficial in some situations.
2. Which of the following is the best example of the environmental determinist's approach to marketing as that approach is described in the passage?
A. A company known for high-quality timepieces decides to expand its customer base by also marketing an inexpensive line of watches at drugstores.
B. An orange juice producer promotes increased consumption in an advertising campaign proclaiming that orange juice is "not just delicious at breakfast."
C. Producers of unleaded gasoline lobby Congress to mandate the use of their product because of its environmental advantage.
D. An automobile manufacturer responds to a market trend of increasing taste for luxury cars by increasing its production of such cars.
E. A baking soda manufacturer promotes nontraditional uses of its product, for example as a carpet deodorizer and toothpaste supplement.
A. A company known for high-quality timepieces decides to expand its customer base by also marketing an inexpensive line of watches at drugstores.
B. An orange juice producer promotes increased consumption in an advertising campaign proclaiming that orange juice is "not just delicious at breakfast."
C. Producers of unleaded gasoline lobby Congress to mandate the use of their product because of its environmental advantage.
D. An automobile manufacturer responds to a market trend of increasing taste for luxury cars by increasing its production of such cars.
E. A baking soda manufacturer promotes nontraditional uses of its product, for example as a carpet deodorizer and toothpaste supplement.
3. The passage is primarily concerned with
A. pointing out some limitations of an approach to marketing and offering an alternative
B. tracing the development of an approach to marketing
C. comparing changes in the marketing strategies of two companies
D. cataloging the types of environmental forces that can affect a company's marketing strategy
E. describing an approach to marketing and providing several examples of its application
A. pointing out some limitations of an approach to marketing and offering an alternative
B. tracing the development of an approach to marketing
C. comparing changes in the marketing strategies of two companies
D. cataloging the types of environmental forces that can affect a company's marketing strategy
E. describing an approach to marketing and providing several examples of its application
4. The passage suggests that if the instant-camera manufacturer mentioned in the highlighted text had ignored PLC prescriptions, it would most likely have
A. been able to manipulate the market to its advantage
B. missed an opportunity to employ a strategic choice approach in its marketing decisions
C. suffered adverse consequences due to a failure to adjust to changing consumer preferences
D. adapted more rapidly to changes in the market environment
E. capitalized on a consumer shift away from its major products
A. been able to manipulate the market to its advantage
B. missed an opportunity to employ a strategic choice approach in its marketing decisions
C. suffered adverse consequences due to a failure to adjust to changing consumer preferences
D. adapted more rapidly to changes in the market environment
E. capitalized on a consumer shift away from its major products
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18 Aug 2024, 05:05
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1st Question !
The correct answer is (E) It provides guidelines that are beneficial in some situations.
The passage mentions that "there is no doubt that PLC prescriptions are appropriate under certain conditions" and provides an example of a company successfully using the PLC concept to adapt to changing consumer preferences. This suggests that the PLC approach can be useful in specific situations.
The other options are not mentioned as advantages of the PLC concept in the passage:
(A) In fact, the passage suggests that the PLC approach can lead to missed opportunities if companies follow its prescriptions too rigidly.
(B) While the PLC concept does break the product life cycle into four stages, this is not mentioned as an advantage.
(C) The "if-then" approach is mentioned as a characteristic of the PLC concept, but not as an advantage.
(D) The passage actually suggests that the PLC approach can be too limiting, implying that marketing opportunities are not constrained by controllable forces.
Posted from my mobile device
The correct answer is (E) It provides guidelines that are beneficial in some situations.
The passage mentions that "there is no doubt that PLC prescriptions are appropriate under certain conditions" and provides an example of a company successfully using the PLC concept to adapt to changing consumer preferences. This suggests that the PLC approach can be useful in specific situations.
The other options are not mentioned as advantages of the PLC concept in the passage:
(A) In fact, the passage suggests that the PLC approach can lead to missed opportunities if companies follow its prescriptions too rigidly.
(B) While the PLC concept does break the product life cycle into four stages, this is not mentioned as an advantage.
(C) The "if-then" approach is mentioned as a characteristic of the PLC concept, but not as an advantage.
(D) The passage actually suggests that the PLC approach can be too limiting, implying that marketing opportunities are not constrained by controllable forces.
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22 Aug 2024, 00:12
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pls explain q3 why A cause passage is not offering any alternative
