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Location: United States (WA)
Concentration: Leadership, General Management
GMAT 1: 760 Q50 V42 GMAT 2: 740 Q49 V42 (Online) GMAT 3: 760 Q50 V42 (Online)
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WE:Marketing (Non-Profit and Government)
Re V30-14
[#permalink]
26 Apr 2018, 02:06
Official Solution:
Several Craverton Company employees have drafted a petition to be submitted to the company's management in the hope that the petition might prevent the closure of the exercise facility at Craverton's headquarters. The petition claims that the closure would leave many employees without a convenient alternative to the facility, and that most of Craverton's employees are required to work long hours, which would make commuting to an alternative facility burdensome. The petition also claims that Craverton has the greatest number of employees of any company in the city, and that closing the exercise facility would leave that sizable workforce without an alternative for something as important as personal fitness.
Each of the following, if true, weakens the claims raised in the petition EXCEPT:
A. For most Craverton employees, the commute to a fitness facility either from home, or from the office, would be unreasonably burdensome.
B. Employees interested in the company fitness facility make up a disproportionately small fraction of Craverton's workforce.
C. A large proportion of Craverton's employees either have fitness equipment at home, or engage in activities such as jogging.
D. Most of the time, the fitness facility at Craverton's headquarters is available for use, but remains empty.
E. At Craverton's fitness facility, workout classes that are typically filled elsewhere are routinely cancelled due to lack of interest.
Question Type: Weaken EXCEPT
Boil It Down (Simplified & Abbreviated Summary of the Prompt): Closing Co. fitness facility = No alternative
Missing Information (assumption): The fitness center is worth saving, and there are no alternatives to the fitness center in general
Goal: Find FOUR options that show closing the facility doesn't really matter as much as claimed, and select the ONE option that either strengthens, or does nothing.
Let's see which option best achieves the goal:
Ⓐ Yes! This option actually reinforces the claims made in the petition because it further rules out the alternatives, and thereby helps reinforce the need for the facility. This option strengthens the argument. All the other options turn out to weaken, making A the EXCEPTION, and the correct option.
Ⓑ By stating that a very small portion of Craverton employees are actually interested in the facility, this option helps to minimize the role the fitness facility plays, thereby weakening the presumption that the facility is worth saving. That said, this option is no slam dunk against the argument because there could still be some who use the center, but the fact that this option says a disproportionately small fraction of the employees are even interested in the facility is still enough to run counter to the petition's claims.
the GMAT is infatuated with the logical implications of the Number vs. Percent concept, namely this:
The number isn't important, it's all about the percentage (i.e. "A lot of people do x", but a lot relative to what?).
Let's walk though the facts in the prompt, and then take a closer look at option B to see how it undercuts one of the core thrusts of the argument:
From the prompt: The petition also claims that Craverton has the greatest number of employees of any company in the city, and that closing the exercise facility would leave that sizable workforce without an alternative for something as important as personal fitness.
Each of the following, if true, weakens the claims raised in the petition EXCEPT:
Ⓑ Employees interested in the company fitness facility make up a disproportionately small fraction of Craverton's workforce.
The size of the actual number is irrelevant in the context of the proportion of workers who use the facility. Yes, there could still be a large number who use it, but based on the facts of the prompt, that's a significant proportion of Craverton employees, let alone relative to the proportion of citizens in general.
Ⓒ This option deals the most decisive blow against the claims made in the petition because it shows that a large proportion of Craverton's employees DO have an alternative to the facility. In other words, this option shows that alternatives to the facility need not necessarily be in the form of other facilities. The company could close the facility, and people would still have alternative ways to maintain personal fitness.
Ⓓ D and E are remarkably similar. D says that even when the facility is available for use, no one is even using it most of the time. After reading option D, it would be pretty hard to believe that the facility is that critical. That said, this option leaves open the possibility that the other times when it is in use, it could be VERY busy. For example, maybe it's empty during regular business hours, but just before, and after, or even during lunch it could be very busy. Nevertheless, this option definitely gives some evidence that runs counter to the claims made in the petition.
Ⓔ Just like D, E delivers a blow to the claims made in the petition by showing that interest in the facility is likely weaker than those drafting the petition might claim. However, also like D, E could still isn't a decisive blow because maybe the facility is busy, but the classes are unpopular. That said, E also definitely provides some evidence that runs counter to the claims made in the petition.
Answer: A