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01 Mar 2022, 02:30
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C
Be sure to select an answer first to save it in the Error Log before revealing the correct answer (OA)!
Difficulty:
35%
(medium)
Question Stats:
70% (01:49) correct
30%
(01:41)
wrong
based on 463
sessions
History
Date
Time
Result
Not Attempted Yet
Goods transported to this country from overseas are taxed at a rate that depends on several different factors, including the type of items, the number of items in the shipment, and their country of origin. Therefore, when shipping goods here, businesses should carefully figure these factors into any estimation of transportation costs.
Which of the following, if true, would most weaken the argument above?
(A) The type of items shipped, the number of items shipped, and the country of origin are not the only factors that determine how transported goods are taxed.
(B) Goods that originate from some countries are taxed at a much lower rate than goods that originate from other countries.
(C) Transportation costs do not include the taxes levied on goods shipped into this country from overseas.
(D) The export tax rate on goods shipped from this country does not depend on the type of items shipped.
(E) Most new businesses tend to underestimate their transportation costs.
Which of the following, if true, would most weaken the argument above?
(A) The type of items shipped, the number of items shipped, and the country of origin are not the only factors that determine how transported goods are taxed.
(B) Goods that originate from some countries are taxed at a much lower rate than goods that originate from other countries.
(C) Transportation costs do not include the taxes levied on goods shipped into this country from overseas.
(D) The export tax rate on goods shipped from this country does not depend on the type of items shipped.
(E) Most new businesses tend to underestimate their transportation costs.
kungfury42
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01 Mar 2022, 13:38
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I belive C should be the answer. I did this by eliminating 4 absolutely incorrect choices and checking the remaining choice for sanity.
(A) True there can be half a dozen other factors as well but that doesn't undermine the significance of these factors towards accounting for the transportation costs. Eliminate A.
(B) This option simply says that country of origin plays some (variable) role in determining the tax portion but that's something we already know from the stem. This option doesn't provide us any helpful information to undermine the argument in the stem. Eliminate B.
(D) In the given context we're only concerned about the tax levied on the goods imported into this country (inward flow). Whatever happens to the goods exported from this country (outward flow) is an entirely different matter in itself and is not of any concern to us here. Eliminate D.
(E) The fact that most new businesses tend to underestimate their transportation costs only strengthens the argument that business should carefully include the factors mentioned in the stem into any estimation of their goods' transportation costs. Eliminate E.
Now we've eliminated 4 absolutely incorrect choices and we're left with C which undoubtedly has to be our answer, still we will do a sanity check before freezing our answer.
It must be noted that it is indeed none of our concern as to WHY transportation costs must not include these taxes but the fact that they do not/should not is sufficient for us to say that this point weakens our argument which promotes inclusion of these tax factors into the transportation costs.
Hence, C is our answer.
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(A) True there can be half a dozen other factors as well but that doesn't undermine the significance of these factors towards accounting for the transportation costs. Eliminate A.
(B) This option simply says that country of origin plays some (variable) role in determining the tax portion but that's something we already know from the stem. This option doesn't provide us any helpful information to undermine the argument in the stem. Eliminate B.
(D) In the given context we're only concerned about the tax levied on the goods imported into this country (inward flow). Whatever happens to the goods exported from this country (outward flow) is an entirely different matter in itself and is not of any concern to us here. Eliminate D.
(E) The fact that most new businesses tend to underestimate their transportation costs only strengthens the argument that business should carefully include the factors mentioned in the stem into any estimation of their goods' transportation costs. Eliminate E.
Now we've eliminated 4 absolutely incorrect choices and we're left with C which undoubtedly has to be our answer, still we will do a sanity check before freezing our answer.
Quote:
The reason I kept this for the end is that I find it kind of uncomfortable to accept this statement upfront but a careful analysis of the stem only reveals us that Goods transported into the country are taxed on xyz. Businesses should include these xyz in their transportation costs. but if someone tells us that transportation costs by definition or convention must not include the tax levied on the imported goods then our argument falls apart.
It must be noted that it is indeed none of our concern as to WHY transportation costs must not include these taxes but the fact that they do not/should not is sufficient for us to say that this point weakens our argument which promotes inclusion of these tax factors into the transportation costs.
Hence, C is our answer.
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04 Mar 2022, 07:29
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STIMULUS - The first line of the stimulus starts off by presenting some facts about taxes on goods that come in a country (can be said as import tax). The second sentence of the passage forms a conclusion based on the above information (i.e. the information present in the first sentence).
TYPE OF QUESTION (as understood from the question statement) - Weaken
PRE-THINKING - the conclusion tries to make a connection between the taxes and the transportation costs, with no clear connection between the two - maybe the two are not related.
OPTIONS - A: The factors mentioned might not be 'all' the factors affecting but maybe 'some' of the factors affecting how transported goods are taxed. Thus, this option does not weaken the statement to a huge extent.
B: Irrelevant. It does not matter how goods in other countries are taxed. This option does not present any information that can help weaken the conclusion or affect it in any way.
C: This is somewhat in line with our pre-thinking. If the transportation costs do not include taxes levied on goods shipped into this country from overseas, then the businesses do not need to carefully figure these factors into any estimation of transportation costs. This helps weaken the conclusion and is the answer.
D: As mentioned in the understanding of the STIMULUS - we are talking about import taxes and it does not matter if export taxes do not depend on one of the factors mentioned.
E: Irrelevant. It does not matter if new businesses underestimate transportation costs. It does not affect our conclusion.
ANSWER: C
TYPE OF QUESTION (as understood from the question statement) - Weaken
PRE-THINKING - the conclusion tries to make a connection between the taxes and the transportation costs, with no clear connection between the two - maybe the two are not related.
OPTIONS - A: The factors mentioned might not be 'all' the factors affecting but maybe 'some' of the factors affecting how transported goods are taxed. Thus, this option does not weaken the statement to a huge extent.
B: Irrelevant. It does not matter how goods in other countries are taxed. This option does not present any information that can help weaken the conclusion or affect it in any way.
C: This is somewhat in line with our pre-thinking. If the transportation costs do not include taxes levied on goods shipped into this country from overseas, then the businesses do not need to carefully figure these factors into any estimation of transportation costs. This helps weaken the conclusion and is the answer.
D: As mentioned in the understanding of the STIMULUS - we are talking about import taxes and it does not matter if export taxes do not depend on one of the factors mentioned.
E: Irrelevant. It does not matter if new businesses underestimate transportation costs. It does not affect our conclusion.
ANSWER: C
