Consumer: a new law requires all cigarette packaging to display a heal

Question

Consumer: a new law requires all cigarette packaging to display a health warning, disturbing pictures of smoke related diseases, and no logos. this law will not affect the smoking habit of most people who smoke cigarette regularly, since most of these people rarely look at the packaging when they take out a cigarette.

The conclusion of consumers argument follows logically if which of the following is assumed ?

(A) If implementing certain regulations on packaging of cigarette would affect the smoking habits of those who smoke regularly, those regulations should be implemented

(B) If those who regularly smoke cigarette look at a disturbing pictures of smoking related diseases frequently, it is likely to affect their smoking habits.

(C) Almost all people who regularly smoke cigarette are already familiar with the risks that smoking poses to their health.

(D) The new packaging can not affect the smoking habits of the people who regularly smoke cigarette unless they frequently look at the packaging when taking out cigarettes.

(E) Most people who regularly smoke cigarettes would be unable to describe the log of their unusual brand of cigarette if asked to do so.

KarishmaB · Accepted Answer

Premises: A new law needs to display a health warning and disturbing pictures. Most people who smoke regularly, rarely look at packaging. Conclusion: Health habits of regular smokers will not change. What does looking at packaging have to do with change in health habits? We do not have any premise that tell us that if people do not look at packaging, their health habits will not change. The premises give us no link between looking at packaging and health habits. If we need the conclusion to follow, we need to give this essential link. (A) If implementing certain regulations on packaging of cigarette would affect the smoking habits of those who smoke regularly, those regulations should be implemented Which regulations should be implemented and which not is not our point of concern. (B) If those who regularly smoke cigarette look at a disturbing pictures of smoking related diseases frequently, it is likely to affect their smoking habits. If people regularly look at disturbing pictures, it is likely to affect their habits. But what happens if they do not look at pictures? Does it mean it will not affect their habit? No. Go back to the conditional basics. Given: If A, then B A implies B but Not A does not imply not B. https://www.gmatclub.com/forum/veritas-prep-resource-links-no-longer-available-399979.html#/2012/1 ... tatements/ The if-then statement of option (B) does not help establish that not looking at disturbing pictures means the habits will not change. (C) Almost all people who regularly smoke cigarette are already familiar with the risks that smoking poses to their health. We are talking about looking at packaging and not familiarity with the risks. (D) The new packaging can not affect the smoking habits of the people who regularly smoke cigarette unless they frequently look at the packaging when taking out cigarettes. Unless is nothing but an only if statement. Only if regular smokers look at packaging frequently can it affect smoking habits. Only if A, then B. Here, not A implies not B. So if regular smokers do not look at packaging frequently, they smoking habits are not affected. We are given that regular smokers do not look at packaging frequently (they rarely look). So we can say that they habits will not be affected. This is what we were looking for. Correct. (E) Most people who regularly smoke cigarettes would be unable to describe the log of their unusual brand of cigarette if asked to do so. Ability to describe logo is irrelevant. Answer (D) kadamhari825

Fdambro294 · Answer

The passage is a little tough to read because of the typographical errors. However, here is how I understood the passage.

We have a new law that forces the producers of cigarettes to put disturbing pictures on the package. (In my head, I’m thinking of a skull and cross bones ☠️).

Normally, common sense tells us that we would expect smokers to see this picture and be turned off. We would expect these types of images to reduce the amount of cigarettes that smokers consume.

The author concludes that this law (and these pictures and logos on packages) will not affect the smoking habits of most smokers who smoke on a regular basis.

Why does the author think this? The author provides one piece of supporting evidence: most of these people do not look at the packaging “WHEN they take out a cigarette.”

Essentially:

Because most smokers who smoke regularly do not look at the package when they take out a cigarette

—————> Most of these smokers will not reduce smoking because of the disturbing pictures.

The supporting evidence refers to one exact moment when these regular smokers might look at these disturbing pictures: when they take out a cigarette.

Are there any other times when the pictures MIGHT affect these smokers’ habits? Or even if they don’t ever look at these disturbing pictures, are there unforeseen side effects resulting from displaying these disturbing pictures that will cause most regular-smokers to reduce their smoking? (Maybe stores will refuse to carry cigarettes because children get frightened. This could result in a reduction in the amount of cigarettes consumed even if the smoker never looks at the package when he or she takes out the cigarette).

In order for the argument to follow logically, the author must be assuming that there are no unforeseen consequences resulting from displaying the pictures that might cause smokers to slow down.

Answer D fills this gap perfectly.

The answer focuses on the target group in the conclusion (“those people who regularly smoke cigarettes”).

And, essentially, D says that the new packaging can not affect the smoking habits of these smokers EXCEPT under one condition: unless these smokers look at the packaging WHEN they remove the cigarette.

Since the evidence provided tells us that most smokers who smoke regularly do NOT look at the packaging and do not fall within this one exception, then the conclusion follows naturally from answer D ———-> the smoking habits of those who smoke regularly will NOT be affected by the new disturbing pictures.

With the insertion of answer D in the passage, the author’s conclusion follows logically from the facts.

Posted from my mobile device

kadamhari825 · Answer

Hello experts,
 VeritasKarishma   sayantanc2k

i chose option B. My reasoning was in order to have any effect on smokers, they need to look at those disturbing pictures, so is't it the option B saying the same thing?( by filling the gap )

Thanks and regards

Crytiocanalyst · Answer

The conclusion of consumers argument follows logically if which of the following is assumed ?

(A) If implementing certain regulations on packaging of cigarette would affect the smoking habits of those who smoke regularly, those regulations should be implemented
This is not a conclusion and just a suggestion therefore out

(B) If those who regularly smoke cigarette look at a disturbing pictures of smoking related diseases frequently, it is likely to affect their smoking habits.
THe pictures has to be part of the cigratte packaging and not some explicit images which they might not recognize or misunderstand as out of context therefore out

(C) Almost all people who regularly smoke cigarette are already familiar with the risks that smoking poses to their health.
Since they are not looking at the package there is a possibility that they are not aware of the drawbacks and can be made aware and alter the habits however the above passage doesn't bring in a change to the smokers habit therefore out

(D) The new packaging can not affect the smoking habits of the people who regularly smoke cigarette unless they frequently look at the packaging when taking out cigarettes.
This is exactly the conclusion we are looking for therefore let us hang on to it

(E) Most people who regularly smoke cigarettes would be unable to describe the log of their unusual brand of cigarette if asked to do so.
THis is true since people who are smoking will more familiar with the logo of the cigrattes they smoke than the new ones without logos howevver this is not the conclusion therefore out

Therefore IMO D

PyjamaScientist · Answer

You are just amazing! Hands down!

kadamhari825 · Answer

VeritasKarishma

Thanks a lot Ma'am. The explanation was really helpful.

TargetKellogg2024 · Answer

Consumer: a new law requires all cigarette packaging to display a health warning, disturbing pictures of smoke related diseases, and no logos. this law will not affect the smoking habit of most people who smoke cigarette regularly, since most of these people rarely look at the packaging when they take out a cigarette.
 
Conclusion: The new law will not affect the smoking habits of most people who smoke regularly because these people rarely look at the packaging while taking out the ciggies.
There has to be a connection between "looking at the packaging" and "effects on smoking habits"

The conclusion of consumers argument follows logically if which of the following is assumed ?
 
 (A) If implementing certain regulations on packaging of cigarette would affect the smoking habits of those who smoke regularly, those regulations should be implemented
  This is not an assumption, but rather a recommendation. What should be done or should not be done is irrelevant for our assumption. We are mainly concerned with what has been done

(B) If those who regularly smoke cigarette look at a disturbing pictures of smoking related diseases frequently, it is likely to affect their smoking habits.
  Gist: If people look at the disturbing images, it will likely affect their smoking habits
Negation: If people do not look at the disturbing images, it will not affect their smoking habits
Analysis: If X implies Y, then not X does not imply not Y.
Therefore, "if people do not look at the disturbing images, it will not affect their smoking habits" does not imply that "if people look at the disturbing images, it will affect their smoking habits"

(C) Almost all people who regularly smoke cigarette are already familiar with the risks that smoking poses to their health.
  Whether or not smokers are already familiar with the health hazards is not relevant. Whether or not they are familiar, it does not imply that they will look at the images and that it will affect their smoking habits

(D) The new packaging can not affect the smoking habits of the people who regularly smoke cigarette unless they frequently look at the packaging when taking out cigarettes.
  Unless people look at the new packaging, the new packaging can not affect the smoking habits
Negation: Even if people look at the new packaging, the new packaging will not affect the smoking habits
Analysis: If the negation holds true, then the conclusion doesn't hold true. Keep it!

(E) Most people who regularly smoke cigarettes would be unable to describe the log of their unusual brand of cigarette if asked to do so.
  We are not concerned about the brand of the ciggies

Therefore,  the answer is D.

VerbalBot · Answer

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Consumer: a new law requires all cigarette packaging to display a heal

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Consumer: a new law requires all cigarette packaging to display a heal

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