Last year a record number of new manufacturing jobs were created. Will

Question

Last year a record number of new manufacturing jobs were created. Will this year bring another record? Well, any new manufacturing job is created either within an existing company or by the start-up of a new company. Within existing firms, new jobs have been created this year at well below last year's record pace. At the same time, there is considerable evidence that the number of new companies starting up will be no higher this year than it was last year and there is no reason to think that the new companies starting up this year will create more jobs per company than did last year's start-ups. So clearly, the number of new jobs created this year will fall short of last year's record.

In the argument given, the two portions in boldface play which of the following roles?

A. The first is presented as an obvious truth on which the argument is based; the second is the main conclusion of the argument.
B. The first is presented as an obvious truth on which the argument is based; the second is a conclusion drawn in order to support the main conclusion of the argument.
C. The first and the second each provide evidence in support of the main conclusion of the argument.
D. The first is a generalization that the argument seeks to establish; the second is the main conclusion of the argument.
E. The first is a generalization that the argument seeks to establish; the second is a conclusion that has been drawn in order to challenge that generalization.

CR02886 New Question from GMAT Official Guide 2020 #701

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Official Answer

A

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Carcass · Accepted Answer

A. The first is presented as an obvious truth on which the argument is based; the second is the main conclusion of the argument.

D. The first is a generalization that the argument seeks to establish; the second is the main conclusion of the argument.

Spot the difference

regards

MikeScarn · Answer

To elaborate on @Carcass' explanation of  (A) vs (D)

(A)   The argument is based on the truth that   any new manufacturing job is created either within an existing company or by the start-up of a new company.

This is true.

(D)   The argument seeks to establish that   any new manufacturing job is created either within an existing company or by the start-up of a new company.

Not true. The argument is not about establishing the bold statement. That bold statement is a fact.

Hope this helps.

JS1290 · Answer

Hi, Could you please explain option D more? Isn't the entire argument expanding on the first bullet point, which seems to be option D saying?

Posted from my mobile device

Carcass · Answer

The part above, which is actually the entire argument, is ALREADY what we do know I.E: is what the argument establish. It is a whole story.

D instead says that the first bold is a fact that the argument tries to convey or establish. This is wrong because we have already a blown fact, we are not looking for anything. We do have.

Hope now is clear

Nonktp · Answer

GMATNinja  Could you please help explain why A is correct but D is incorrect?
Appreciate your help.

GMATNinja · Answer

Let’s take a look at (D):

So is the fact that “any new manufacturing job is created either within an existing company or by the start-up of a new company” a fact that the argument  seeks to establish ? It’s definitely a generalization, but the argument does not set out to provide any basis for that generalization.

In other words, if an argument  seeks to establish  a statement, then the argument must provide some kind of support for the truth of that statement. The argument under consideration does not do that. Instead, it takes for granted, without evidence, that the boldface statement is true. Eliminate (D).

And here’s (A):

We already identified the second portion in boldface as the argument’s main conclusion, so is the first portion “an obvious truth on which the argument is based”? An obvious truth would be one that needs no support, so the first portion in boldface fits that aspect of (A)’s description. The final consideration is whether the argument is based on that obvious truth. Well, the first boldface statement presents two categories of new jobs, and the conclusion assumes that all new jobs come from one of these two categories.

So the argument is based on the obvious truth presented in the first boldface statement. (A) is correct.

I hope that helps!

ShreyashGupta188 · Answer

A vs D

A - 1st Bold face is a premise as we can classify it as a fact
D- 1st Boldface is shown as generalization - kind of assumption, however we clearly understand that a premise is a fact /reason on which an conclusion is based upon, so the classification of 1st boldface id wrong in option "D"

VerbalBot · Answer

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Last year a record number of new manufacturing jobs were created. Will

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