Anyone concerned about the strength of our nation’s defenses

Question

Anyone concerned about the strength of our nation’s defenses should look at the records of our state’s two candidates for the U.S. Senate. Ed Harmon voted against funding for the Z-19 bomber, rejected the President’s defense spending plan last year, and voted to close three U.S. Army bases in our state. Tom Caldwell voted in opposition to Ed Harmon on all three of these issues, and is thus the stronger candidate on defense.

All of the following, if true, would weaken the conclusion above,  EXCEPT :

A. Ed Harmon voted for a different defense spending plan that called for a higher rate of spending on defense.
B. The Army bases Ed Harmon voted to close were considered unnecessary by top Army officials.
C. Ed Harmon has experience in dealing with national defense issues and is a proponent of assuring the U.S. maintains a strong defense even in peacetime.
D. Ed Harmon is a twice-decorated U.S. Navy veteran who fought for the United States in two wars.
E. The Z-19 bomber has been superseded by a cheaper and more efficient aircraft.

800 Score

CrackverbalGMAT · Answer

Let us simplify the argument -

Premise 1: Ed harmon did these things - 
a) voted against funding for Z-19 bomber
b) rejected President's defense spending plan
c) voted to close 3 army bases

Premise 2: Tom Caldwell opposed Ed harmon on all three issues.

Conclusion: Tom is the stronger candidate on defense.

This is an EXCEPT question. That is all four incorrect answer options must weaken the conclusion. The correct answer might strengthen/have no effect on the conclusion.

A - this addresses issue (b) in the premise. If Ed voted for a stronger plan, then by opposing Ed Tom voted for a weaker plan. Hence, the conclusion that Tom is the stronger candidate would fall apart.

B - this addresses issue (c). If such bases were unnecessary, Ed's decision did not necessarily weaken the country's defense capabilities.

C - weakens the argument. If he has extensive experience, then probably his voting decisions were for the betterment of defense capabilities (like answer option A). He probably thought that these deals were not good for the country and suggested better ones.

D - does not strengthen or weaken the argument. Does not address what his positions on defense are. hence, is the correct answer.

E - weakens the argument. It explains why Ed voted against the Z-19 plan.

Keshav1404 · Answer

CrackverbalGMAT

I eliminated Option A,B,C. Between D & E, I choose option E, as with option D it can be seen that Ed has the experience of the war. How option E is the correct answer?

A_Nishith · Answer

To weaken the conclusion that Tom Caldwell is the stronger candidate on defense, we need to find information that suggests Ed Harmon's actions do not necessarily make him weak on defense. The correct answer would be the one that does not provide any such information and thus does not weaken the conclusion.

Let’s analyze each option:

A. Ed Harmon voted for a different defense spending plan that called for a higher rate of spending on defense.
This suggests that Ed Harmon might support defense spending even more than Caldwell, thus weakening the conclusion.

B. The Army bases Ed Harmon voted to close were considered unnecessary by top Army officials.
This implies that closing the bases might have been a sensible decision and does not necessarily mean he is weak on defense. This would weaken the conclusion.

C. Ed Harmon has experience in dealing with national defense issues and is a proponent of assuring the U.S. maintains a strong defense even in peacetime.
This statement supports the idea that Ed Harmon is strong on defense, weakening the conclusion.

D. Ed Harmon is a twice-decorated U.S. Navy veteran who fought for the United States in two wars.
This highlights his personal military experience and dedication to defense, which would weaken the conclusion.

E. The Z-19 bomber has been superseded by a cheaper and more efficient aircraft.
If the Z-19 bomber is outdated, then voting against funding it does not necessarily make Harmon weak on defense, which also weakens the conclusion.

All of the answer choices except for C would weaken the conclusion that Caldwell is the stronger candidate on defense. 
 C provides additional context about Harmon’s expertise and his general stance on defense, but it doesn't directly contradict any of the specific points raised about Caldwell being stronger.

Thus, the correct answer is C.

bb · Answer

Looks like a Chat GPT answer. I also tried to run this question through the ChatGPT and it old E was the correct answer

Be careful with AI and harder questions - it does not do well!!!

Anyone concerned about the strength of our nation’s defenses

Prep Toolkit

Top 5 GMAT Debrief Videos

615 to 715 in 15 Days (Ria's Strategies)

More than Quant/Verbal Abilities: Speed vs. Accuracy

745 with Only Self-Prep and GMAT Club

From 555 to 765: 210-point Improvement

Perfect 805 Score Debrief by Julia

My Rewards

GMAT Critical Reasoning (CR) Questions

Anyone concerned about the strength of our nation’s defenses

Prep Toolkit

615 to 715 in 15 Days (Ria's Strategies)

More than Quant/Verbal Abilities: Speed vs. Accuracy

745 with Only Self-Prep and GMAT Club

From 555 to 765: 210-point Improvement

Perfect 805 Score Debrief by Julia

My Rewards