Editorial: The town would not need to spend as much as it does on remo

Question

Editorial:  The town would not need to spend as much as it does on removing trash if all town residents sorted their household garbage.  However, while telling residents that they must sort their garbage would get some of them to do so, many would resent the order and refuse to comply. The current voluntary system, then, is to be preferred, because it costs about as much as a nonvoluntary system would and it does not engender nearly as much resentment.

The contention that the town would not have to spend as much as it does on removing trash if all town residents sorted their garbage plays which one of the following roles in the editorial’s argument?

(A) It is a claim that the editorial is trying to show is false.
(B) It is a fact granted by the editorial that lends some support to an alternative to the practice that the editorial defends as preferable.
(C) It is an example of a difficulty facing the claim that the editorial is attempting to refute.
(D) It is a premise that the editorial’s argument relies on in reaching its conclusion.
(E) It is the conclusion that the editorial’s argument purports to establish.

CrackverbalGMAT · Answer

The right answer is  B . This is a structure based CR question, and very similar to bold-faced questions except for the fact that they only ask us about the role of one statement. The crux of any structure based CR question is to correctly identify the premises and conclusion. Remember that we need NOT care about outside info (assumptions) or whether the argument as a whole 'works' or not.

In this argument, the conclusion is that  we should stick to the voluntary system   (The current voluntary system, then, is to be preferred) . The statement in question is  simply a fact, not a conclusion , and it goes  against  the overall conclusion of the argument. So all we're really looking for in the options is anything that satisfies  premise/fact/data + against overall conclusion .

Option A  - The statement is indeed a claim, but the argument never says that it is false. It merely goes on to give an alternative line of reasoning.  OUT

Option B  - The key words are "fact" and "lends support to the alternative". This clearly shows that the statement is a premise, and one that supports a different conclusion to author's.  CORRECT

Option C  - The editorial isn't actually trying to refute anything. It only gives its own line of reasoning as to why the decision should go the way it does.  OUT

Option D  - The statement is indeed a premise, but the words "relies on" are what makes this option incorrect. The author does not rely on this premise, since it doesn't support her argument.  OUT

Option E  - This statement is not a conclusion. Stating data outcomes is always a premise, making a decision from those outcomes is what makes a conclusion.  OUT

The words used in the options of such questions are designed to confuse you, so the way to avoid that confusion is to simplify each term into:
 1. Premise or conclusion
2. Support or attack the main conclusion

- Matoo from CrackVerbal

KarishmaB · Answer

The town would not need to spend as much as it does on removing trash if all town residents sorted their household garbage. 
 - a fact supporting complete segregation (non voluntary) by residents

However, while telling residents that they must sort their garbage would get some of them to do so, many would resent the order and refuse to comply. 
 - what would happen if non voluntary system is established

The current voluntary system, then, is to be preferred, because it costs about as much as a nonvoluntary system would and it does not engender nearly as much resentment. 
 - why an alternative - voluntary system - is better. Author's opinion and hence the conclusion.

We need to establish the role of the first sentence in the argument.

(A)  It is a claim that the editorial is trying to show is false.

No. The editorial does not try to say that the first sentence is false.

(B)  It is a fact granted by the editorial that lends some support to an alternative to the practice that the editorial defends as preferable.

Practice that editorial defends as preferable - voluntary system
an alternative - non voluntary system
fact that lends some support to alternative (non voluntary system) - sentence 1

Correct.

(C)  It is an example of a difficulty facing the claim that the editorial is attempting to refute.

Sentence 1 is not an example of anything. It is a fact stated.

(D)  It is a premise that the editorial’s argument relies on in reaching its conclusion.

Sentence 1 supports an alternative, not the conclusion.

(E)  It is the conclusion that the editorial’s argument purports to establish.

Sentence 1 is not the conclusion.

Answer (B)

sahilsharma2107 · Answer

I found both B and D correct and ended up picking the D because I couldn't invalidate the option. Can anyone elaborate why option D is incorrect? TIA

auradediligodo · Answer

Editorial:  The town would not need to spend as much as it does on removing trash if all town residents sorted their household garbage.  However, while telling residents that they must sort their garbage would get some of them to do so, many would resent the order and refuse to comply. The current voluntary system, then, is to be preferred, because it costs about as much as a nonvoluntary system would and it does not engender nearly as much resentment.

The contention that the town would not have to spend as much as it does on removing trash if all town residents sorted their garbage plays which one of the following roles in the editorial’s argument?

Boldface question

Pre-thinking

The boldface part presents some reasoning for an alternate solution that the argument as a whole seeks to refute. Plus BF does not have any relation to the conclusion

(A)  It is a claim that the editorial is trying to show is false.
 not a claim

(B)   It is a fact granted by the editorial that lends some support to an alternative to the practice that the editorial defends as preferable.
 in line with pre-thinking

(C)  It is an example of a difficulty facing the claim that the editorial is attempting to refute.
 not an example

(D)  It is a premise that the editorial’s argument relies on in reaching its conclusion.
 not used to draw the conclusion

(E)  It is the conclusion that the editorial’s argument purports to establish.
 not the conclusion

KarishmaB · Answer

"The town would not need to spend as much as it does on removing trash if all town residents sorted their household garbage." is supporting the non-voluntary system - that it will cost less in removing trash if all residents sorted if it were compulsory to sort.

The conclusion of the argument supports the current voluntary system.

Hence the statement in bold is opposing the conclusion of the argument, not supporting it. (D) is incorrect.

sahilsharma2107 · Answer

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Thank you for your reply Karishma.

Quick follow up - Option D nowhere mentions that the premise is supporting (or opposing) the bold statement. It only mentions that the author relies on in reaching the conclusion. Am I wrong in presuming that relies != support?

A_Nishith · Answer

Argument Breakdown: 
The editorial discusses two systems: a voluntary system for sorting trash and a nonvoluntary system.
It claims that if all town residents sorted their trash, the town would spend less on trash removal.
However, the editorial argues that forcing people to sort trash (nonvoluntary system) would cause resentment and wouldn’t save much money compared to the voluntary system.
Therefore, the editorial prefers the current voluntary system, because it costs about the same as a mandatory system but causes much less resentment.

Contention in Question: 
"The town would not need to spend as much as it does on removing trash if all town residents sorted their household garbage."

Role of the Contention: 
This statement is not being refuted or challenged by the editorial. Instead, it is accepted as true.
The editorial uses this fact to acknowledge that a nonvoluntary system could reduce costs if all residents complied. However, the editorial concludes that the voluntary system is still better overall because a nonvoluntary system would cause resentment and wouldn't save significantly more money.
Thus, this contention serves to support the idea that a nonvoluntary system has potential cost savings, but the editorial ultimately defends the voluntary system as preferable.

(A) It is a claim that the editorial is trying to show is false.
Incorrect: The editorial accepts the claim that costs would decrease if everyone sorted their garbage. It does not attempt to refute or disprove this claim.

(C) It is an example of a difficulty facing the claim that the editorial is attempting to refute.
Incorrect: The contention is not presented as a difficulty or challenge. Instead, it is acknowledged as a fact that lends support to an alternative solution.

(D) It is a premise that the editorial’s argument relies on in reaching its conclusion.
Incorrect: While the claim is used in the discussion, the editorial’s conclusion ultimately supports the voluntary system. This contention is not a direct premise for that conclusion but rather supports a different approach (nonvoluntary).

(E) It is the conclusion that the editorial’s argument purports to establish.
Incorrect: The conclusion of the editorial is that the voluntary system is preferable, not the claim about the cost savings if everyone sorted their trash.

Correct Answer: 
(B) It is a fact granted by the editorial that lends some support to an alternative to the practice that the editorial defends as preferable.
Explanation:
The contention is acknowledged as a fact by the editorial, but it is used to support an alternative (the nonvoluntary system) that the editorial ultimately rejects in favor of the voluntary system.

VerbalBot · Answer

Automated notice from GMAT Club VerbalBot:

A member just gave Kudos to this thread, showing it’s still useful. I’ve bumped it to the top so more people can benefit. Feel free to add your own questions or solutions.

This post was generated automatically.

Editorial: The town would not need to spend as much as it does on remo

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

Editorial: The town would not need to spend as much as it does on remo

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