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Sub 505 (Easy)|   Strengthen|            
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PUNEETSCHDV
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Companies O and P each have the same number of employees who Updated on: 26 Jan 2026, 22:34
Originally posted by PUNEETSCHDV on 14 Aug 2012, 11:36.
Last edited by Bunuel on 26 Jan 2026, 22:34, edited 2 times in total.
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A
Be sure to select an answer first to save it in the Error Log before revealing the correct answer (OA)!

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5% (low)

Question Stats:

88% (01:26) correct 12% (01:34) wrong based on 2302 sessions

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Companies O and P each have the same number of employees who work the same number of hours per week. According to records maintained by each company, the employees of Company O had fewer job-related accidents last year than did the employees of Company P. Therefore, employees of Company O are less likely to have job-related accidents than are employees of Company P.

Which of the following, if true, would most strengthen the conclusion above?

(A) Company P manufactures products that are more hazardous for workers to produce than does Company O.
(B) Company P holds more safety inspections than does Company O.
(C) Company P maintains a more modern infirmary than does Company O.
(D) Company O paid more for new job-related medical claims than did Company P.
(E) Company P provides more types of health-care benefits than does Company O.


Same Stem but different question from OG11: companies-o-and-p-each-have-the-same-number-of-employees-who-work-the-63626.html
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A
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Companies O and P each have the same number of employees who 14 Aug 2012, 11:49
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Its A. Company P manufactures products that are more hazardous for workers and hence it is more likely to have job-related accidents compared with that of Company O. All other options do not strengthen the conclusion.
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Companies O and P each have the same number of employees who 14 Aug 2012, 11:50
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Companies O and P each have the same number of employees who work the same number of hours per week. According to records maintained by each company, the employees of Company O had fewer job-related accidents last year than did the employees of Company P. Therefore, employees of Company O are less likely to have job-related accidents than are employees of Company P.

Which of the following, if true, would most strengthen the conclusion above?

Meaning:
Premise 1 -risk@P>risk@O
Premise 2 -More risk, More accidents
Conclusion -Probability of accidents @O<accidents@P


(A) Company P manufactures products that are more hazardous for workers to produce than does Company O.
risk@P>risk@O
More risk, More accidents-strengthening- correct
(B) Company P holds more safety inspections than does Company O.
if so, then accidents should be less@P-incorrect
(C) Company P maintains a more modern infirmary than does Company O.
MODERN INFIRMARY (health facility comes second)doesn't signifies risk and hence the accidents - incorrect
(D) Company O paid more for new job-related medical claims than did Company P.
Medical claim is secondary , the question is concerned about the accidents reported ! mediclaim will come into picture later.-incorrect
(E) Company P provides more types of health-care benefits than does Company O.
even though it can not guarantee the less no. of accidents @ P-Incorrect
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Companies O and P each have the same number of employees who 23 Dec 2025, 06:26
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Understanding the Argument
  • Company O and P: same employees, same hours
  • O had fewer recorded accidents than P
  • Conclusion: O's employees are less likely to have accidents

The Gap
The argument assumes recorded accidents = true likelihood. But what if P's work is just more dangerous? Or P reports more thoroughly?

What Would Strengthen?
We need to eliminate alternative explanations for why O has fewer accidents.

Analyzing the Options
(A) P's products more hazardous → WEAKENS (explains P's higher accidents without blaming employees)
(B) P holds MORE safety inspections → STRENGTHENS ✓
(C) P has better infirmary → IRRELEVANT (treatment ≠ prevention)
(D) O paid MORE for medical claims → WEAKENS (suggests O's records may be incomplete)
(E) P provides more health benefits → IRRELEVANT

Why B Works
If P does more safety inspections but still has more accidents, we can't blame P's accidents on "lack of safety effort."
This rules out an alternative explanation → The difference between O and P must be genuine.
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mediocregenius
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Companies O and P each have the same number of employees who 26 Jan 2026, 20:42
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Sorry, but the posted answer is actually A.


egmat
Understanding the Argument
  • Company O and P: same employees, same hours
  • O had fewer recorded accidents than P
  • Conclusion: O's employees are less likely to have accidents

The Gap
The argument assumes recorded accidents = true likelihood. But what if P's work is just more dangerous? Or P reports more thoroughly?

What Would Strengthen?
We need to eliminate alternative explanations for why O has fewer accidents.

Analyzing the Options
(A) P's products more hazardous → WEAKENS (explains P's higher accidents without blaming employees)
(B) P holds MORE safety inspections → STRENGTHENS ✓
(C) P has better infirmary → IRRELEVANT (treatment ≠ prevention)
(D) O paid MORE for medical claims → WEAKENS (suggests O's records may be incomplete)
(E) P provides more health benefits → IRRELEVANT

Why B Works
If P does more safety inspections but still has more accidents, we can't blame P's accidents on "lack of safety effort."
This rules out an alternative explanation → The difference between O and P must be genuine.


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Companies O and P each have the same number of employees who 26 Jan 2026, 22:21
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mediocregenius
Sorry, but the posted answer is actually A.



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I think there is some kind of misunderstanding here.

The answer is, in fact, A.

Conclusion: Therefore, employees of Company O are less likely to have job-related accidents than are employees of Company P.

Now, what would strengthen this conclusion? Something that makes the conclusion more likely. If there were an answer choice that tells us that working conditions are worse at Company P than Company O, or that Company P's manufacturing process is more dangerous.

(A) Company P manufactures products that are more hazardous for workers to produce than does Company O.
This answer choice does exactly what was explained previously. It says P's manufacturing process is more dangerous. Strengthener? Definitely yes. Keep.

(B) Company P holds more safety inspections than does Company O.
If anything, this choice weakens the conclusion. It makes Company P likely to have fewer job-related accidents than Company O. Eliminate.

(C) Company P maintains a more modern infirmary than does Company O.
Again, this choice weakens the conclusion. It makes Company P likely to have fewer job-related accidents than Company O. Also, this isn't relevant and does not have any effect on the occurrence of job-related accidents. Eliminate.

(D) Company O paid more for new job-related medical claims than did Company P.
If anything, this choice weakens the conclusion. It makes Company P seem like it has fewer job-related accidents than Company O. Again, this isn't relevant and does not have any effect on the occurrence of job accidents. Eliminate.

(E) Company P provides more types of health-care benefits than does Company O.
This clearly does not have any effect on the occurrence of job accidents. Eliminate.

Correct answer: A.
Hope this makes sense.
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