A survey of small businesses owned equally by two partners revealed th

Question

A survey of small businesses owned equally by two partners revealed that when the partners keep different work schedules from each other, they tend to spend less time discussing key business issues and are more likely to have major disagreements about how to run their companies. Thus, it appears that misalignment of work schedules can be a serious risk for small business partnerships.

Which of the following, if true, most seriously weakens the argument above?

A. Some business partners who work together all the time still have significant differences of opinion about how best to run their company.

B. The work schedules of the owners of small businesses tend to vary over time because of economic cycles.

C. Business partners who work very long hours together can sometimes alienate family members and friends.

D. Business partners who are not able to reach a consensus on major business issues often adopt different schedules in order to avoid conflict.

E. Business partners who express a willingness to be flexible have found that they can easily align their work schedules more closely.

sayantanc2k · Accepted Answer

This is a typical GMAT weakening question:

say, X = different schedule, Y = disagreement

Stem: X and Y are observed to happen together. Conclusion: X causes Y

Weakener: Y causes X.
Hence D is correct.

A is a typical trap: The stem does not say anything about not X i.e. same schedule - hence what happens when same schedule is followed is irrelevant. The point is whether different schedule causes disagreement. Same schedule may cause disagreement, but that does not imply that different schedule does not cause disagreement.

Kurtosis · Answer

If two partners keep different work schedules there will be disagreements because they spend less time together.
Conclusion: Different work schedules - Serious risk for business partnerships
Cause: Different work schedule
Effect: Disagreements

One way to weaken the statement is to show that effect occurs before the cause.

D. Business partners who are not able to reach a consensus on major business issues often adopt different schedules in order to avoid conflict. - Correct - This option states that different work schedules is not causing the disagreements. Rather disagreements are forcing them to have different work schedules.

Answer: D

praveen1810 · Answer

I got really confused between A and D. Please tell me this is a high difficulty question.
Why is it that this cannot be A. It kind of goes on to give an example that actually weakens the argument.

roadrunner · Answer

Notes:
diff. wrk sch -> ↓dissc., ↓arg (+)
 wrk sch -> ↑risk (c)

Option D says arg -> diff. wrk schd. So theory presented is wrong!
Ans D

mkabra123 · Answer

Hi Sayantan,

Thanks for the explanation. I just have doubt on the above explanation. As per my understanding, in the cause and effect relationship, if an answer gives an alternate cause for the stated effect, it weakens the relationship. Here, the same schedule (alternate cause) is leading to disagreement (effect), so wouldn't it also weaken the original C and E relationship?

nandeta · Answer

Argument:   When partners spend less time together, they have less time discussing the business issue and hence have disagreements.
  Conclusion:   Misalignment of work schedules causes disagreement. 
  Weaken the argument:   Cause and effect. Reverse it to weaken the argument.

A. Some business partners who work together all the time still have significant differences of opinion about how best to run their company.
  Wrong.    This is a trap and i also selected this. This is not reversing the cause and effect relation of the argument.

B. The work schedules of the owners of small businesses tend to vary over time because of economic cycles.
  Wrong.    We are not discussing here about the economic cycles at all.

C. Business partners who work very long hours together can sometimes alienate family members and friends.
  Wrong.    We are not discussing the aftermath of long hours or the subject "long hours".

D. Business partners who are not able to reach a consensus on major business issues often adopt different schedules in order to avoid conflict.
  Right.    This was my second best choice. But this is reversing the cause and effect statement. Argument: Different work alignment caused fights. Option: Fight causes Different work schedules.
 
E. Business partners who express a willingness to be flexible have found that they can easily align their work schedules more closely.
  Wrong.   We are not talking about the solutions here.

RahulJain293 · Answer

Conclusion says that due to different schedules, there is disagreements.

Cause effect is reversed in Option D whish says Disagreements leads to different schedules and hence that is the correct answer and a weakener.

VerbalBot · Answer

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A survey of small businesses owned equally by two partners revealed th

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