Senator Janice White is quietly lobbying to become chairman of one of

Question

Senator Janice White is quietly lobbying to become chairman of one of the Senate's most prestigious committees. However, that post currently belongs to Senator Dan Smith. If Senator Smith already has twenty senators committed to his continued chairmanship of the committee, then Senator White will consider another committee. If Senator Smith does not have that much support lined up yet, then Senator White will study Senator Smith's past committee voting record for inconsistent and unpopular votes. If Senator White finds that Smith's voting record is out of favor with today's voter and publicizes it, then her chances of capturing the chairmanship would be increased, and she would publicly announce her interest in the chairmanship. If Senator Smith's committee voting record is in keeping with current public sentiment and contains no inconsistencies, then Senator White will focus her attention on another committee chairmanship.

Based upon the information provided in the passage, which one of the following statements must be false?

(A) Senator Smith has lined up only five votes, and Senator White drops her interest in the committee chairmanship.

(B) A number of inconsistencies are found in Senator Smith's voting record, and Senator White publicly announces her interest in the committee chairmanship.

(C) Several of Senator Smith's past committee votes would find disfavor with today's voting public, and Senator White does not pursue the committee chairmanship.

(D) Senator Smith's past committee voting record contains nothing that would increase Senator White's chances of obtaining the chairmanship, and Senator White publicly announces her interest in being named chairman.

(E) Senator Smith already has the support of thirty of his fellow senators, and Senator White focuses her interest on another committee.

Source:   Nova GMAT  
Difficulty Level:   750

CrackverbalGMAT · Answer

Simplify the argument --

Smith has >=20 Senators support --> White will consider another committee ---------(1)

Smith has <20 Senators support --> White will study Smith's past voting record --> finds voting record out of favor with today's voters --> her chances of capturing the chairmanship would be increased ---> White will announce interest in chairmanship -------------(2)

Smith has <20 Senators support --> White will study Smith's past voting record --> finds voting record in favor with today's voters --> White will consider another committee ----------(3)

Option A - Incorrect

this thing is a possible course -- Reasoning #3 -- if Smith's voting record is in favor with today's voters and is consistent.

Option B - Incorrect

Reasoning #2

Option C - Incorrect

But what if Senator Smith has the favor of more than 20 Senate members? -- reasoning #1.

Option D - Correct

Contradicts Reasoning #2.

Option E - Incorrect

Reasoning #1.

warriorguy · Answer

If Senator Smith's past committee voting record contains nothing that would increase Senator White's chances of obtaining the chairmanship, then Senator White would consider another committee.

Option D is false.

Senator Smith's past committee voting record contains nothing that would increase Senator White's chances of obtaining the chairmanship, and  Senator White publicly announces her interest in being named chairman

egmat · Answer

Understanding the Logic Structure 
This question presents a  conditional decision tree . Let me map it out:

Decision Point 1:  Does Smith have  20  senators committed?
-  YES  → White considers another committee.  FULL STOP. 
-  NO  → Proceed to Decision Point  2

Decision Point 2:  Is Smith's voting record out of favor with today's voters?
-  YES  + she publicizes it → Her chances increase, she announces interest
-  NO  (record is clean) → White focuses on another committee

Why (D) is Correct: 
Choice (D) states: Smith's record contains  nothing  that would increase White's chances, yet White  announces  her interest.

This creates a  direct contradiction  with the passage logic:

The passage clearly states: "If Senator Smith's committee voting record is in keeping with current public sentiment and contains no inconsistencies, then Senator White will  focus her attention on another committee chairmanship ."

If Smith's record has  nothing damaging  (clean record), White should focus  elsewhere , not announce for  this  committee. Choice (D) violates this rule.

Why Others Work:

(A)  Smith has  5 votes  (< 20) → White drops interest
 Possible : Maybe she studied his record, found it clean, so focused elsewhere.

(B)  Inconsistencies found → White announces
 Possible : Inconsistencies could make the record "out of favor," leading to announcement.

(C)  Record would find disfavor → White doesn't pursue
 Possible : Smith might have 20+ votes already, so White never examines the record.

(E)  Smith has 30 senators → White focuses elsewhere
 Consistent:  Follows the "20+ votes" rule perfectly.

Answer: D

Senator Janice White is quietly lobbying to become chairman of one of

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Senator Janice White is quietly lobbying to become chairman of one of

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