A group of university researchers has found that gender bias continues

Question

A group of university researchers has found that gender bias continues to affect social interactions. The experimenters had both men and women perform a perceptual task, involving objects that had distinctively masculine or feminine qualities. Meanwhile, to keep the experiment's purpose concealed, each participant's performance was rated by a single evaluator. When men proved competent at the task involving, for example, a tire-iron, their success was attributed more often to ability; when women did the same, however, their success was often attributed to luck. Conversely, when a feminine object was involved in the task, neither the women's nor the men's success was attributed to ability.

The above statements suggest that

(A) women who are good at perceptual tasks will have their abilities go under-appreciated.

(B) a tire-iron cannot be perceived as having feminine qualities.

(C) having only one person rate another can hide the purpose of an experiment.

(D) successful women are often regarded as having more masculine qualities than are their less successful peers.

(E) more men performed the task competently than did women.

pvs29 · Accepted Answer

Alright, let us first summarize the passage into a simplified layman version

-->

Problem at hand - Gender bias affects social interactions
What are they doing to understand the reason - Experiment using tasks which are categorized as either pertaining to 'masculine' or 'feminine' qualities 
What is the experiment - every participant is moderated by a single evaluator 
How the moderator evaluates - For 'male tasks' : If the male is proved capable, then it is due to his capability. However, if a woman is proved capable, it is due to luck. For 'female tasks' : Irrespective of gender, the task completion is based on luck.

(A) suggests that if a woman does a task it will be under-rated --> TRUE

(B) suggests that a tire-iron cannot be perceived as having feminine qualities --> NOT NECESSARILY TRUE

(C) suggests that having one person is a flaw in the experiment --> WE HAVE NO REASON OR PROOF TO BELIEVE THAT FROM THE PASSAGE

(D) suggests that successful women have masculine qualities -->WE HAVE NO REASON OR PROOF TO BELIEVE THAT FROM THE PASSAGE

(E) suggests that a greater number of men performed the task competently than did women -->WE HAVE NO REASON OR PROOF TO BELIEVE THAT FROM THE PASSAGE

ANSWER -->  (A.)

gmat1393 · Answer

***BUMPING THIS POST FOR DISCUSSION***

ArjunJag1328 · Answer

A group of university researchers has found that gender bias continues to affect social interactions. The experimenters had both men and women perform a perceptual task, involving objects that had distinctively masculine or feminine qualities. Meanwhile, to keep the experiment's purpose concealed, each participant's performance was rated by a single evaluator. When men proved competent at the task involving, for example, a tire-iron, their success was attributed more often to ability; when women did the same, however, their success was often attributed to luck. Conversely, when a feminine object was involved in the task, neither the women's nor the men's success was attributed to ability.

Breakdown: Finding - Gender bias continues to affect social interactions. Experiment - perceptual tasks - both masculine & feminine qualities - each participant - single evaluator. If men proved competent - it's due to ability - when women did the same - It's luck. Feminine tasks - not considered as an ability.

The above statements suggest that

(A) women who are good at perceptual tasks will have their abilities go under-appreciated.
Explanation: Correct

(B) a tire-iron cannot be perceived as having feminine qualities.
Explanation: Too extreme to consider.

(C) having only one person rate another can hide the purpose of an experiment.
Explanation: Cannot determine from he given passage

(D) successful women are often regarded as having more masculine qualities than are their less successful peers.
Explanation: Talks about competence which is irrelevant to the question

(E) more men performed the task competently than did women.
Explanation: Irrelevant

Pritam_Pf · Answer

A group of university researchers has found that gender bias continues to affect social interactions. The experimenters had both men and women perform a perceptual task, involving objects that had distinctively masculine or feminine qualities. Meanwhile, to keep the experiment's purpose concealed, each participant's performance was rated by a single evaluator. When men proved competent at the task involving, for example, a tire-iron, their success was attributed more often to ability; when women did the same, however, their success was often attributed to luck. Conversely, when a feminine object was involved in the task, neither the women's nor the men's success was attributed to ability.

Breakdown: Finding - Gender bias continues to affect social interactions. Experiment - perceptual tasks - both masculine & feminine qualities - each participant - single evaluator. If men proved competent - it's due to ability - when women did the same - It's luck. Feminine tasks - not considered as an ability.

The above statements suggest that

(A) women who are good at perceptual tasks will have their abilities go under-appreciated.
Explanation: Correct

(B) a tire-iron cannot be perceived as having feminine qualities.
Explanation: Too extreme to consider.

(C) having only one person rate another can hide the purpose of an experiment.
Explanation: Cannot determine from he given passage

(D) successful women are often regarded as having more masculine qualities than are their less successful peers.
Explanation: Talks about competence which is irrelevant to the question

(E) more men performed the task competently than did women.
Explanation: Irrelevant

How to determine whether an answer option is too extreme to consider?

Posted from my mobile device

Aviral1995 · Answer

VeritasKarishma   GMATNinja  could you please explain why C is not correct?

KarishmaB · Answer

To be honest, I don't know what they mean by 
"Meanwhile, to keep the experiment's purpose concealed, each participant's performance was rated by a single evaluator."
in the argument.

Every participant's performance was rated by the same evaluator? Or each participant was rated by only one evaluator? I see some merit in the first case but not so much in the second (which actually seems to be the intent of the statement). How does one evaluator conceal the purpose? If one person could conceal the purpose, so could two or three.

From the argument, we can say that women's success in perceptual tasks was attributed to luck so their ability would be under-rated.

Aviral1995 · Answer

Thanks  VeritasKarishma  for the explanation, i again have problem b/w option A and B
A) Women who are good at perceptual task will have their abilities go under-appreciated.
However in the argument it is stated that when women did the same, however, their success was  often  attributed to luck. do this cannot be true always
B) a tier-iron cannot be perceived as having feminine qualities- I think this can be inferred because -
When men proved competent at the task involving, for example, a tire-iron, their success was attributed more often to ability; when women did the same, however, their success was often attributed to luck.  Conversely,  when a feminine object was involved in the task, neither the women's nor the men's success was attributed to ability.
Because the word conversely is used, it can be inferred that a tire-iron cannot be perceived as having feminine qualities

Please let me know your thoughts  VeritasKarishma   egmat   aaron

KarishmaB · Answer

Note what the question says: The above statements suggest that
It is not a "must be true" question.

(B) a tire-iron cannot be perceived as having feminine qualities.
The argument does not suggest that. It suggests that a tire-iron has masculine qualities but it does not suggest that it cannot have feminine qualities.

Anyway, don't waste too much time on this question.

VerbalBot · Answer

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A group of university researchers has found that gender bias continues

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