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25 mins
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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:
67% (01:32) correct
33%
(01:46)
wrong
based on 3814
sessions
History
Date
Time
Result
Not Attempted Yet
Reva: Using extraneous incentives to get teenagers to change their attitude toward school and schoolwork won’t work. Take the program in West Virginia, for instance, where they tried to reduce their dropout rate by revoking the driving licenses of kids who left school. The program failed miserably.
Anne: It’s true that the West Virginia program failed, but many schools have devised incentive programs that have been very successful in improving attendance and reducing discipline problems.
According to Anne, the weak point in Reva’s claim is that it
(A) fails to consider the possibility that the majority of potential dropouts in West Virginia do not have driving licenses
(B) doesn’t provide any exact figures for the dropout rate in West Virginia before and during the program
(C) ignores a substantial body of evidence showing that parents and employers have been using extrinsic incentives with positive results for years
(D) assumes that a positive incentive—a prize or a reward—will be no more effective than a negative incentive, like the revoking of a driving license
(E) is based on a single example, the incentive program in West Virginia, which may not be typical
Anne: It’s true that the West Virginia program failed, but many schools have devised incentive programs that have been very successful in improving attendance and reducing discipline problems.
According to Anne, the weak point in Reva’s claim is that it
(A) fails to consider the possibility that the majority of potential dropouts in West Virginia do not have driving licenses
(B) doesn’t provide any exact figures for the dropout rate in West Virginia before and during the program
(C) ignores a substantial body of evidence showing that parents and employers have been using extrinsic incentives with positive results for years
(D) assumes that a positive incentive—a prize or a reward—will be no more effective than a negative incentive, like the revoking of a driving license
(E) is based on a single example, the incentive program in West Virginia, which may not be typical
x97agarwal
Funda in solving CR is just READ READ and READ.
actually if we read properly the argument answer is just hidden in the argument.I usually follow pOE ,it sort of works.one should eliminate extreme choices.They are never correct.Also dont use ur own brains anywhere .This i learnt.We need to think in a way author thinks any other info other than the one conveyed by author and is related to argument might lead to mistakes and false assumptions and wrong answer. 
I still end up doing mistakes anyways just post in the OA for this 
Posts: 4,475
xahead
fameatop
Fame: first of all, I don't consider this a particularly high quality question. It doesn't strike me as measuring up to the high standards that the GMAT holds on CR questions.
I think a crucial part of this question is the exact wording --- "According to Anne, the weak point in Reva’s claim is ..." ----- in other words, it's not enough simply to find a good weakener. Choices (A) & (D) both would be good weakeners in general, but neither is specifically to the content of what Anne says. Anne says zilch about how many West Virginia students have or don't have driver's licenses --- that's 100% unconnected to what she says ---- (A) is right out. Anne explicitly talks about incentives, but we get no clue from what she says whether the incentives she has in mind are positive or negative. We know Reva cites a negative incentive, but Anne apparently doesn't address the issue of whether incentives are positive or negative. It may be that all the incentives she cites are positive, but we have no way of knowing that. That's why (D), though a brilliant tempting answer, is ultimately untenable.
The OA is (E). Anne explicitly compares the results at West Virginia to the results elsewhere --- "many" schools have had good results with incentives. The word "many" implies those school may well be more typical than West Virginia is.
To summarize --- the fact that the question explicitly says "according to Anne" makes it incumbent on us to give her exact words extraordinary attention.
Does all this make sense?
Mike
_________________
Mike McGarry
Magoosh Test Prep
Education is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire. — William Butler Yeats (1865 – 1939)
Magoosh Test Prep
Education is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire. — William Butler Yeats (1865 – 1939)
General Discussion
Posts: 181
My answer is E.
Ritesh, D is wrong. Let us consider the argument.
Reva's argument can be summed up as follows - she dismisses a methodology (Using extraneous incentives to get teenagers to change their attitude toward school ), and backs it up with an example.
Anne on the other hand, admits that the example is true, but says that there are many instances where the methodology has worked successfully.
She weaken's Reva's argument, by implying that Reva's argument is based on a single example which may not be typical. Thus E
Besides D makes an invalid assumption. None of the two assume a positive incentive.
Hope this helps
Ritesh, D is wrong. Let us consider the argument.
Reva's argument can be summed up as follows - she dismisses a methodology (Using extraneous incentives to get teenagers to change their attitude toward school ), and backs it up with an example.
Anne on the other hand, admits that the example is true, but says that there are many instances where the methodology has worked successfully.
She weaken's Reva's argument, by implying that Reva's argument is based on a single example which may not be typical. Thus E
Besides D makes an invalid assumption. None of the two assume a positive incentive.
Hope this helps
Hi Mike, I think both options D & E are equally strong. In fact option A is also a good contender. Can you kindly explain how to evaluate these 3 options. Waiting eagerly for your valuable inputs. Regards, Fame
Posts: 30
Although Anne agrees with Reva that the West Virginia program failed, she (Anne) does not agree that extraneous incentives won’t work in changing teenagers’ attitudes. Anne indicates that the weak point in the argument is the fact that West Virginia issue is a single example and the incentive program proved worthwhile in other places.Hence (e).
Posts: 168
cybera
Let's try to address the Anne's conclusion first, "It’s true that the West Virginia program failed, but many schools have devised incentive programs that have been very successful in improving attendance and reducing discipline problems." . The conclusion refutes argument on the fact that one bad instance cannot be implied as general principle.
A) fails to consider the possibility that the majority of potential dropouts in West Virginia do not have driving licenses - No, this explanation may be true but this is not what anne used to refute reva's claim
B) doesn’t provide any exact figures for the dropout rate in West Virginia before and during the program - The question in discussion is a logical (Yes/No) question. Why does it need absolute numbers. Also, this is not what anne used to refute reva's claim
C) ignores a substantial body of evidence showing that parents and employers have been using extrinsic incentives with positive results for years - out of scope
D) assumes that a positive incentive—a prize or a reward—will be no more effective than a negative incentive, like the revoking of a driving license - This option compares an extraneous incentive to positive incentive, which is not the case anne presents. So eliminated
E) is based on a single example, the incentive program in West Virginia, which may not be typical - Correct, The conclusion refutes argument on the fact that one bad instance cannot be implied as general principle and apply it to all situations.
Azakura16
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Quote:
Reva:
Conclusion: When it comes to changing teens’ attitudes towards school, external incentives won’t work.
Supporting Evidence: The licence-revoking program in West Virginia failed miserably.
Anne:
Counterpoint: While that particular program failed, many schools have devised very successful programs with the same goal.
A. Irrelevant. We don’t need to know why it failed if we know that it failed.
B. Irrelevant. Again, it’s specified that the WV program failed, so that’s all we need. We don’t have to prove it.
C. Irrelevant. We’re talking about schools, not parents or employers.
D. Irrelevant. Neither speaker differentiates between positive and negative incentives.
E. Reva’s argument is based on a single example. Anne’s counter is that there are many other examples that wouldn’t support Reva’s conclusion. This is correct.
Best answer: E
Making generalization based upon a single instance this is the flaw in Reva argument as being pointed out by Anne and this is captured well in option E
cybera
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