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12 Days of Christmas GMAT Competition - Day 9: A city government plans

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Bunuel

12 Days of Christmas 2024 - 2025 Competition with $40,000 of Prizes

A city government plans to remove the free parking spaces in downtown areas to encourage the use of public transportation. If this change is implemented, drivers who currently park downtown for free would have to pay for parking. Consequently, many downtown businesses are concerned that their customer traffic would decrease significantly, leading to reduced sales.

The argument above assumes which of the following?

A. Other incentives or conveniences are insufficient to keep the same number of customers visiting downtown businesses.
B. Downtown businesses depend solely on customers who drive and park downtown for the majority of their sales.
C. The primary reason for removing free parking is to generate additional revenue from paid parking spaces.
D. Customers who currently use the free parking are likely to visit downtown businesses less often if they have to pay for parking.
E. The city should provide additional public transportation options to compensate for the removal of free parking spaces.

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The argument above assumes which of the following?

A. Other incentives or conveniences are insufficient to keep the same number of customers visiting downtown businesses. This is quite a close assumption, but one thing it lacks is that it compares quantity to quality. Let's say we have same number of customers but those aren't the ones who used to park and shop in which case sales can still be affected, so this is not a necessary assumption
B. Downtown businesses depend solely on customers who drive and park downtown for the majority of their sales. Again a strong word 'solely', downtown businesses might not solely depend on customers who park and let's say only 20% sales come from these customers, so the argument suggests that this percentage would significantly go down, while this option choice mentions this fraction to be the major contributing factor of the sales which might be taking it to an extreme.
C. The primary reason for removing free parking is to generate additional revenue from paid parking spaces. Additional reason which is of no relevance.
D. Customers who currently use the free parking are likely to visit downtown businesses less often if they have to pay for parking. This accurately ties the gap in the argument that the customers who were using free parking are less likely to visit and that would impact the reduction in sales, which also indirectly implies that they might not use public transportation to visit these downtown businesses causing them to loose existing customers.
E. The city should provide additional public transportation options to compensate for the removal of free parking spaces. Out of scope

Answer: D

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26 Dec 2024, 11:35

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Question type:

Assumption

Answer choice analysis:

A. Other incentives or conveniences are insufficient to keep the same number of customers visiting downtown businesses.

Incorrect, This is not an assumption since we don’t know if even there are other incentives or conveniences, this could also mean that these incentives and conveniences could keep both higher or lower number of customers visiting downtown businesses.

B. Downtown businesses depend solely on customers who drive and park downtown for the majority of their sales.

Incorrect, maybe there could be other customers but then also their customer traffic would decrease significantly, leading to reduced sales. Not an assumption.

C. The primary reason for removing free parking is to generate additional revenue from paid parking spaces.

Incorrect, Irrelevant we are not concerned about the reason for introduction of parking.

D. Customers who currently use the free parking are likely to visit downtown businesses less often if they have to pay for parking.

Correct. If this is true, then it fills the gap in the argument about how the customer traffic would decrease significantly, leading to reduced sales. Definitely an Assumption.

E. The city should provide additional public transportation options to compensate for the removal of free parking spaces.

Incorrect. What the city should do is not at concern here. It can form a conclusion but is definitely not an assumption.

D is the answer

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A. This option might be a concern, but it's not driving the businesses' worry - Incorrect

B. It is not mentioned that businesses solely depend on customers who drive and park downtown - Incorrect

C. The focus of the passage is the impact of changes on businesses - Incorrect

D. If customers are visiting downtown less because of paid parking, then this will affect businesses and is a cause for concern - Correct

E. This is a potential solution, but does not address the concerns - Incorrect

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Bunuel

This question was provided by GMAT Club
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A. Other incentives or conveniences are insufficient to keep the same number of customers visiting downtown businesses.

The word "Same" is the deal breaker in this option. We don't need to keep the number of customers same. Eliminate A.

B. Downtown businesses depend solely on customers who drive and park downtown for the majority of their sales.

Not really an assumption. The business can depend on other customers. Hence, we can eliminate B.

C. The primary reason for removing free parking is to generate additional revenue from paid parking spaces.

Why was the free parking removed is not of concern. Eliminate C.

D. Customers who currently use the free parking are likely to visit downtown businesses less often if they have to pay for parking.

This is correct. If people visit less often there could be decrease in revenue. Keep D

E. The city should provide additional public transportation options to compensate for the removal of free parking spaces.

Irrelevant to the argument. Eliminate E.

Option D

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Premise : If govt. removes free parking spaces with the intention of increasing the use of public transportation, drivers would now have to pay for parking.

Conclusion : Businesses are concerned that their customer traffic would decrease significantly, leading to reduced sales.

A - Even if they are sufficient, people might simply choose not to travel in them, thus reducing sales. ELIMINATE

B - Even if they do not primarily depend on people who drive and park, the small number might still cause REDUCTION in sales. ELIMINATE

C - The primary reason is already given which is to increase the use public transportation. Moreover, what is the primary reason does not really matter. ELIMINATE

D - If customers who currently use the free parking will stop visiting the downtown businesses as frequently as they do, it will reduce the business. Therefore, this assumption fits perfectly. KEEP

E - More of a suggestion than an assumption. ELIMINATE

Final Answer - Option D

Bunuel

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26 Dec 2024, 14:08

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Hi everyone

This is an assumption question.
The argument assumes that charging for parking will discourage customers from visiting downtown businesses.

A - This might strengthen the argument, but it’s not an assumption. The argument doesn’t discuss or rely on the sufficiency of other incentives. Eliminate.
B - The argument doesn’t assume sole dependency; it focuses on potential reduced customer traffic, not exclusivity. Eliminate.
C - The argument focuses on customer behavior, not the city's motivations. Eliminate.
D - This directly addresses the concern that paid parking would reduce customer traffic. Correct.
E - This is a recommendation, not an assumption. Eliminate.

Our Answer is D.

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Answer is D.

A. Other incentives or conveniences are insufficient to keep the same number of customers visiting downtown businesses. Incorrect because passage does not reference other incentives or conveniences.
B. Downtown businesses depend solely on customers who drive and park downtown for the majority of their sales. Incorrect because sales could still decrease significantly even if businesses don't depend solely on driving customers.
C. The primary reason for removing free parking is to generate additional revenue from paid parking spaces. Incorrect because passage does not reference revenue generation.
D. Customers who currently use the free parking are likely to visit downtown businesses less often if they have to pay for parking. Correct because this explains reasoning behind decreased customer traffic from implementation of paid parking.
E. The city should provide additional public transportation options to compensate for the removal of free parking spaces. Incorrect because this is an argument that the passage is not making.

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26 Dec 2024, 16:28

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Answer should be (D) : Customers who currently use the free parking are likely to visit downtown businesses less often if they have to pay for parking.

The argument assumes that charging for parking will discourage customers from visiting downtown businesses as frequently, which could lead to reduced sales. This is based on the idea that the removal of free parking will directly impact customer behavior, making them less likely to visit if they have to pay for parking. (D) captures this assumption properly.

This is how I eliminated other choices:
(A): The argument doesn't address whether other incentives are enough to maintain customer traffic. It focuses on the impact of the parking change itself.
(B): The argument doesn't claim that businesses depend solely on customers who park downtown. It just implies that parking changes might affect customer traffic.
(C): The argument does not suggest that generating revenue from parking is the primary reason for the policy; it focuses on the impact on business traffic.
(E): The argument doesn’t claim the city should compensate for parking removal with public transportation; it only discusses the concern businesses have about losing customers.

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Two Major contenders are B and D, Let's analyze both.

B. Downtown businesses depend solely on customers who drive and park downtown for the majority of their sales.

This provides that people who drive and park downtown are the major customers but this option doesn't suggest that when free parking would not be there what would be their reaction. Possible cases: They might not come or They might come downtown. No clear answers.

D. Customers who currently use the free parking are likely to visit downtown businesses less often if they have to pay for parking.

This option clearly states that customers who currently use the free parking are less likely to visit the downtown if they have to pay for the parking.

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26 Dec 2024, 21:06

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A city government plans to remove the free parking spaces in downtown areas to encourage the use of public transportation. If this change is implemented, drivers who currently park downtown for free would have to pay for parking.

Conclusion: Consequently, many downtown businesses are concerned that their customer traffic would decrease significantly, leading to reduced sales.

The argument above assumes which of the following?

A. Other incentives or conveniences are insufficient to keep the same number of customers visiting downtown businesses.
The argument is concerned with other incentives or conveniences. If other incentives or conveniences are sufficient to keep the same number of customers visiting downtown businesses, then also the quality of the customers may not remain the same, leading to reduced sales. Option D seems a better choice.
Incorrect

B. Downtown businesses depend solely on customers who drive and park downtown for the majority of their sales.
Even if downtown businesses depend solely on customers who drive and park downtown for the majority of their sales, there is nothing mentioned that they will visit less often if parking charges are introduced.
Incorrect

C. The primary reason for removing free parking is to generate additional revenue from paid parking spaces.
The statement that the primary reason for removing free parking is to generate additional revenue from paid parking spaces is an additional information and is not affecting conclusion.
Incorrect

D. Customers who currently use the free parking are likely to visit downtown businesses less often if they have to pay for parking.
If the customers who currently use the free parking are NOT likely to visit downtown businesses less often if they have to pay for parking, then the conclusion ,"Consequently, many downtown businesses are concerned that their customer traffic would decrease significantly, leading to reduced sales" will fall apart.
If assumption is negated, the conclusion falls apart
Correct

E. The city should provide additional public transportation options to compensate for the removal of free parking spaces.
The statement that he city should provide additional public transportation options to compensate for the removal of free parking spaces is an additional information and is not affecting conclusion.
Incorrect

IMO D

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(A) While the absence of other incentives or conveniences could influence customer behavior, the argument does not directly address or depend on this factor.

(B) This exaggerates the reliance of downtown businesses on customers who drive. The argument does not suggest that these customers are the sole source of sales.

(C) The argument is focused on how paid parking might affect customer behavior, rather than on the city’s reasons for introducing paid parking.

(D) The concern in the argument is that removing free parking will decrease customer traffic to downtown businesses, leading to reduced sales. This concern relies on the assumption that customers who currently use free parking will be less likely to visit if they have to pay. Without this assumption, the argument about reduced traffic and sales would not hold.

(E) This proposes a potential solution to the issue but does not directly address the assumption underpinning the businesses’ concern about a decrease in sales.

Ans- (D)

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- Analyze Conclusion: Many downtown business believe that their sales would reduce, due to the reduced traffic, caused by paid parking. Even with the public transportation.
- Questions: Find assumption that hold the conclusion and the logic of the conclusion (cause n effect) to be true.

A. Other incentives or conveniences are insufficient to keep the same number of customers visiting downtown businesses.
=> Incorrect due to info not related to premises that hold the conclusion.

B. Downtown businesses depend solely on customers who drive and park downtown for the majority of their sales.
=> Keep. Since Biz depends *solely* on customers who drive and park for their sales, if they have to pay for their parking, they would either drive less often or switch to public transport, which either way reduce the business sales

C. The primary reason for removing free parking is to generate additional revenue from paid parking spaces.
=> Incorrect. New threads of revenue to the town does not do anything with businesses' revenue.

D. Customers who currently use the free parking are likely to visit downtown businesses less often if they have to pay for parking.
=> Incorrect yet very tempting answer. When pay close attention, 1st phase only pointing to customer "who currently use the free parking" does not cover the entire customer pool who drive sales to businesses, they might park there to do other things just because it's free. Also, other traits like D use "customer.... likely to.... less often.." wording is not strong enough.

E. The city should provide additional public transportation options to compensate for the removal of free parking spaces.
=> Incorrect. Premises did not mention current public transportation is not enough for use. Also, even with paid parking, it does not mean that customer will switch to public transportation to go to downtown.

=> Ans. B

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Conclusion: many downtown businesses are concerned that their customer traffic would decrease significantly, leading to reduced sales
The argument linked reduced free parking with lower customer traffic. But it doesn't identify the source of customers of the businesses within the customer traffic.

The argument above assumes which of the following?

A. Other incentives or conveniences are insufficient to keep the same number of customers visiting downtown businesses.
The overall number of customers visiting downtown can be less, but it is not a major evidence showing that downtown businesses will be significantly impacted as they may have customers from other means of transport.

B. Downtown businesses depend solely on customers who drive and park downtown for the majority of their sales.
This is the right answer. The parkers will go downtown less, meaning a major source of income going down and there's no other supplemented source of customers.

C. The primary reason for removing free parking is to generate additional revenue from paid parking spaces.
Irrelevant to the question

D. Customers who currently use the free parking are likely to visit downtown businesses less often if they have to pay for parking.
Tt is not a major evidence showing that downtown businesses will be significantly impacted as they may have customers from other means of transport.

E. The city should provide additional public transportation options to compensate for the removal of free parking spaces.
Irrelevant to the question

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27 Dec 2024, 00:26

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Option D) is correct
Customers who currently use the free parking are likely to visit downtown businesses less often if they have to pay for parking.
it is correct sentence which assumes the argument because the business concern is that the removal of free parking will decrease customer traffic, implying that paying for parking will deter current customers.
other Options are not correctly defined

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The argument assumes that the removal of free parking will discourage current parkers from visiting, thereby affecting business sales.

Hence D)

A) other incentives are out of scope
B) extreme
C) Primary reason is irrelevant for assumption
D) good
E) What city should provide is not relatable

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A. Other incentives or conveniences are insufficient to keep the same number of customers visiting downtown businesses.
×parking may be necessary
B. Downtown businesses depend solely on customers who drive and park downtown for the majority of their sales.×still some customers loose
C. The primary reason for removing free parking is to generate additional revenue from paid parking spaces.×Irrelevant
D. Customers who currently use the free parking are likely to visit downtown businesses less often if they have to pay for parking.*Correct. If paid parking then come less
E. The city should provide additional public transportation options to compensate for the removal of free parking spaces. ×Irrelevant

Answer D

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Bunuel

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(A) Other incentives or conveniences are insufficient to keep the same number of customers visiting downtown businesses.
This suggests that other factors (e.g., convenience, attractions) might not compensate for the loss of free parking, but the argument does not depend on this. It focuses specifically on the direct effect of paid parking on customer behavior.
Eliminate (A).

(B) Downtown businesses depend solely on customers who drive and park downtown for the majority of their sales.
The argument does not assume that businesses rely solely on customers who drive and park. It is concerned about a significant portion of customers being affected, but not necessarily all or even most of them.
Eliminate (B).

(C) The primary reason for removing free parking is to generate additional revenue from paid parking spaces.
The argument does not depend on why the city is removing free parking but rather on the effects this removal will have on customer behavior.
Eliminate (C).

(D) Customers who currently use the free parking are likely to visit downtown businesses less often if they have to pay for parking.
This directly supports the argument. The concern of downtown businesses assumes that customers will be discouraged by the cost of paid parking and will visit less often, leading to reduced sales.
Correct (D).

(E) The city should provide additional public transportation options to compensate for the removal of free parking spaces.
This may be a potential solution to the problem but is not an assumption of the argument. The argument concerns itself only with the anticipated impact of removing free parking, not with what the city should or should not do to mitigate that impact.
Eliminate (E).

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27 Dec 2024, 01:14

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An Assumption Q,
let us look at the Conclusion first,
Less Customer traffic would lead to reduced sales.
now in order to reach this conclusion the author is assuming that

A. This could be a strengthener but not the necessary Assumption as some people might find those incentives good but some may not, hence not a much effect on the conclusion of the argument,
hence reject this one
B. A good choice but too extreme, it means other than those who drive and park, no one else purchases from them,
let's keep this one until we find a better one
C. The conclusion is not about generating additional revenue so reject this one
D. Yes looks promising, if Customers visit less often because of parking charge then there will be less customer traffic and which would eventually decrease the sales
yes this could be the answer
E. we are not concerned about what city should do, as we are not looking for suggestion but an Assumption,
so, reject this choice.

We have to reject choice B as well as the conclusion is about reduced sell, and it does not mean that 100% of the sale will be decreased,
so D is the right answer.

Bunuel

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27 Dec 2024, 02:19

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P1: A city government plans to remove the free parking spaces in downtown areas to encourage the use of public transportation.
P2: If this change is implemented, drivers who currently park downtown for free would have to pay for parking.
P3: Consequently, many downtown businesses are concerned that their customer traffic would decrease significantly, leading to reduced sales.

The argument above assumes which of the following?

A. Other incentives or conveniences are insufficient to keep the same number of customers visiting downtown businesses. (not Relevent)
B. Downtown businesses depend solely on customers who drive and park downtown for the majority of their sales. (Solely depends, we can't say that) so Rejected
C. The primary reason for removing free parking is to generate additional revenue from paid parking spaces. (We are not finding the reason)
D. Customers who currently use the free parking are likely to visit downtown businesses less often if they have to pay for parking. (yes, if customers reduced, then sales will also go down) Answer
E. The city should provide additional public transportation options to compensate for the removal of free parking spaces (Not Relevent)

SO answer is D

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Ans: D

Bunuel

Argument: Free parking removal -> encourage public transportation
Premise - > Change will lead to pay for parking in downtown - Conclusion-> customer traffic would decrease leading to reduced sale
means fee for parking in downtown will lead to less customer traffic

A. Other incentives or conveniences are insufficient to keep the same number of customers visiting downtown businesses. (Incorrect: argument doesn't discuss other incentives)
B. Downtown businesses depend solely on customers who drive and park downtown for the majority of their sales. (incorrect: depends solely is a big claim and argument only says decrease significantly)
C. The primary reason for removing free parking is to generate additional revenue from paid parking spaces. (Incorrect: Reson for removal is already discussed and generating revenue is not part of that reason)
D. Customers who currently use the free parking are likely to visit downtown businesses less often if they have to pay for parking. (Correct: current customer will visit less often -> fee -> customer who currently park downtown for free will not be parking there so fewer customer -> less traffic -> reduced sales)
E. The city should provide additional public transportation options to compensate for the removal of free parking spaces. (Incorrect: Not discussed )