We must do something about the rising cost of our state prisons. It no

Question

We must do something about the rising cost of our state prisons. It now costs an average of $225 per day to maintain a prisoner in a double-occupancy cell in a state prison. Yet, in the most expensive cities in the world, one can find rooms in the finest hotels that rent for less than $175 per night.

The argument above might be criticized in all of the following ways EXCEPT

(A) it introduces an inappropriate analogy

(B) it relies on an unwarranted appeal to authority

(C) it fails to take account of costs that prisons have but hotels do not have

(D) it misuses numerical data

(E) it draws a faulty comparison

Source:  Master GMAT

CrackverbalGMAT · Answer

We must do something about the rising cost of our state prisons. It now costs an average of $225 per day to maintain a prisoner in a double-occupancy cell in a state prison. Yet, in the most expensive cities in the world, one can find rooms in the finest hotels that rent for less than $175 per night.

The argument above might be criticized in all of the following ways EXCEPT

(A) it introduces an inappropriate analogy  This could be a plausible criticism as the argument seems to draw a comparison between prisons and hotels, which serve very different purposes and, presumably, have very different cost structures.

(B) it relies on an unwarranted appeal to authority  Correct answer - there is no appeal to any authority to reach the conclusion in the argument above.

(C) it fails to take account of costs that prisons have but hotels do not have  This could be a plausible criticism. Prisons have several costs which are not borne by hotels, for instance, those for educational, legal and psychological services for inmates. These are not considered by the argument.

(D) it misuses numerical data  This is not a direct criticism but relies on the fact that the argument is based simply on a single headline number for two types of "accommodation" which serve very different purposes.

(E) it draws a faulty comparison  Same as (A)

Sajjad1994 · Answer

Official Explanation

The chief failing of the argument is that it draws a false analogy. Since prisons are required to feed and maintain as well as house prisoners (not to mention the necessity for security), the analogy to a hotel room is weak at best.

(C)  focuses on this specific shortcoming. Remember, in evaluating the strength of an argument from analogy it is important to look for dissimilarities which might make the analogy inappropriate. Thus,  (A) and (E)  are also good criticisms of the argument. They voice the general objection of which  (C)  is the specification.

(D)  is also a specific objection—the argument compares two numbers which are not at all similar. So the numerical comparison is a false one.

(B)  is not a way in which the argument can be criticized, for the author never cites any authority.

The correct answer is (B).

Hope it helps

VerbalBot · Answer

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We must do something about the rising cost of our state prisons. It no

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We must do something about the rising cost of our state prisons. It no

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