A certain apple orchard typically has a large yield mid-season, while

Question

A certain apple orchard typically has a large yield mid-season, while the number of apples decreases near the end of the season. The apples picked early in the season are larger and brighter, and those picked late in the season are smaller and duller. A pie maker who uses the orchard's apples claims that her profits will increase near the end of this year's season.

Which of the following would be most useful in evaluating the pie maker's claim?

(A) comparing this year's predicted profits to last year's profits.

(B) calculating the number of apples needed to make each pie.

(C) determining whether smaller, duller apples make better-tasting pies.

(D) comparing this season's pie quality to last season's pie quality.

(E) determining whether the characteristics of the apples affect the price of pies.

CrackverbalGMAT · Answer

The right answer here is  E , but option C is a tempting trap! The first thing to note with this question is that it's asking us to evaluate the argument. This means that we have a conclusion, but we don't know whether this conclusion is a sound one or not. It is our job to find a statement that can tell us whether this conclusion works or not. Hence, the option we're looking for should, depending on how we answer the statement, lead us to both possibilities (conclusion good/conclusion bad).

A  - This comparison does nothing to help us evaluate the conclusion that "apple pie profits will increase toward the end of the season". It makes no difference whether these predictions are higher than last year's outcome or not, so this option is irrelevant.  OUT

B  - This may appear tempting at first but in reality answers nothing new. If the number of apples needed is very high (since they are smaller) it still doesn't tell us anything about profits, since there are so many other unanswered factors, such as the cost of said apples or the price of a pie.  OUT

C  -  This is a trap!  On the outset, it may seem like this is relevant, because if the pies taste better, profits should increase, and if they taste worse, then profits should decrease. One problem though: this requires the further assumption that better tasting pies would lead to more profits. We don't know if buyers would pay more, or if this would affect the price of the pie in any way.  OUT

D  - This option is incorrect for the same reason that A is incorrect, it makes no difference if the pies taste better because the conclusion is about profits, not taste.  OUT

E  - By elimination, this option must be correct. But let's confirm. If the characteristics of apples do affect the price of pies, it will ensure better profits end the end of the season,  making the conclusion more valid . If not, we can't say that the profits will improve at the end,  making the conclusion less valid . Hence, this option allows us to clearly evaluate whether the conclusion is good or not and is therefore  CORRECT .

As with any question that deals with assumptions, it is essential that you correctly ID the conclusion, so as not to be led down the wrong path.

- Matoo

anothermillenial · Answer

Premise: A certain apple orchard typically has a large yield mid-season, while the number of apples decreases near the end of the season.

Premise: The apples picked early in the season are larger and brighter, and those picked late in the season are smaller and duller.

Conclusion: A pie maker who uses the orchard's apples claims that her profits will increase near the end of this year's season.

Which of the following would be most useful in evaluating the pie maker's claim?

First off, this seems like a pretty faulty conclusion. Premise 1 and 2 tell us about the apples and then we are led to believe different season have different apples…therefore, profits for PIE will increase? Wait, how did we get from apples to pie? And then from picking apples to making profit from pies? What? Basically the premise is: we get more apples at end of season and they’re smaller. Conclusion: We can make more money from pies at end of season! So irrelevant.

(A) comparing  this year's predicted profits to last year's profits . 
Hm, sounds very trappy. So what if we had “predicted profits” and last year’s profits? Does that tell us anything about the apple pie profits from early vs. later season? No. If it presented last year’s profits between seasons of apples, we’d have a better shot.

(B) calculating  the number of apples needed  to make each pie. 
I see this pulling our profits mindset here with the whole revenue - cost = profit, but so what if # of apples is 10 vs. 20? Are we assuming that needing more apples or less apples means we can make more pie from the smaller apples than the larger apples? Maybe. But we can’t say FOR CERTAIN that the extra apple will be strengthening the idea that the profit will be greater…unless we know the cost of the apples. What if it’s less?

(C) determining whether smaller, duller apples  make better-tasting pies . 
Another big and bold thought. So what if duller apples make better-tasting pies? Will that increase the value? To be accurate, we’d need to know whether people PAY more for better-tasting pies! Another trappy one. Sounds like a big assumption to make that better-tasting = more profit.

(D) comparing this season's pie  quality  to last season's pie  quality.  
At least we’re comparing pie quality this season to last season….but does quality improvement & lack thereof affect profit? Maybe. But we can’t say for sure. Maybe quality sucked but the price stayed the same….or the cost stayed the same. Or quality improved by the costs rose? OR….there’s so many different circumstances. We can’t say for sure quality —> profit from the given statements.

(E) determining whether the characteristics of the apples  affect the price of pies . 
Ah, this is what we’re looking for. If we know smaller apples affect market price for pies, we can claim profits might be higher or lower or no change because we KNOW the cost of apples/pie.

dhruvarora2309 · Answer

Since the price is determined by the characteristics of the apple. How do we know for sure that the apples cost hasn't increased which will decrease the profits???

quiaitaque · Answer

CrackverbalGMAT

In this case i agree that E better evaluvates teh argument relative to C.

Can we consider it in this perspective. As one of the premsies talsk about the quantitiy of apples that are harvested towards the end of the sason decreases. The only way to indluence the profits of apple harvests is through one of the statmentts including the "Price" factor of apples.

Wheras, the statmente of samller apples = better tasting apples doesnt really influecne the profit of the apples, as like you said we have to "further assume that better tasting pies would lead to more profits."

egmat · Answer

quiaitaque  Here is an important distinction you should understand- The argument is about the  pie maker's  profits, not the apple orchard's profits. The pie maker  uses  the apples to make pies, so we need to evaluate what affects  her pie business profits .

Why E Directly Evaluates the Claim:

The pie maker's profit equation is:
 	ext{Profit} = 	ext{Revenue} - 	ext{Cost}

Choice  E  asks whether apple characteristics affect pie  prices , which directly impacts revenue. If smaller, duller apples somehow allow her to:
- Charge  higher  prices (maybe they're marketed as "artisanal" late-season pies), OR
- Have  lower  costs (maybe these apples are cheaper to buy)

Then her profits could indeed increase despite fewer apples being available.

Why C Requires an Extra Leap:

You correctly identified the weakness in  C : even if smaller apples make better-tasting pies, we still need to assume:
Better taste → Higher demand/prices → More profit

This is an  indirect  evaluation requiring additional assumptions, while  E  directly addresses the profit mechanism.

Hope this helps!

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