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Difficulty:
95%
(hard)
Question Stats:
47% (02:11) correct
53%
(02:17)
wrong
based on 605
sessions
History
Date
Time
Result
Not Attempted Yet
On Saturday Melvin suggested that Jerome take the following week off from work and accompany him on a trip to the mountains. Jerome refused, claiming that he could not afford the cost of the trip added to the wages he would forfeit by taking off without notice. It is clear, however, that cost cannot be the real reason for Jerome’s unwillingness to go with Melvin to the Mountains since he makes the same excuse every time Melvin asks him to take an unscheduled vacation regardless of where Melvin proposes to go.
The reasoning is most vulnerable to which one of the following criticisms?
(A) It attempts to forestall an attack on Melvin’s behavior by focusing attention on the behavior of Jerome.
(B) It fails to establish that Melvin could no more afford to take an unscheduled vacation trip to the mountains than could Jerome.
(C) It overlooks the possibility that Jerome, unlike Melvin, prefers vacations that have been planned far in advance.
(D) It assumes that if Jerome’s professed reason is not his only reason, then it cannot be a real reason for Jerome at all.
(E) It does not examine the possibility that Jerome’s behavior is adequately explained by the reason the gives for it.
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Quote:
argument
=mel invites jer for vacation
=jer cant afford vacation or forfeit his wage
=jer always gives the same reason
=mel thinks this is not the real reason
=since this is always the case
mel's reason
ans (E) maybe this is the real reason!
debjit1990
Joined: 26 Dec 2017
Last visit: 17 Jul 2026
Posts: 256
Location: India
GMAT 1: 580 Q42 V27
Products:
GMAT 1: 580 Q42 V27
Posts: 256
Ans: E
(E) It does not examine the possibility that Jerome’s behavior is adequately explained by the reason the gives for it.
Cost reallay be the reason for Jerome. That's why he is always saying no. His answer is pretty straightforward.
(E) It does not examine the possibility that Jerome’s behavior is adequately explained by the reason the gives for it.
Cost reallay be the reason for Jerome. That's why he is always saying no. His answer is pretty straightforward.
Posts: 18
Hi Experts,
Could you please explain why D cannot be the answer?
Could you please explain why D cannot be the answer?
Posts: 2
I also would like to know why D is not the correct answer.
bidskamikaze
Joined: 07 Jan 2018
Last visit: 29 Oct 2022
Posts: 251
Location: India
Schools: ESMT NUS '22 IIMA PGPX'23 NTU
GMAT 1: 710 Q49 V38
maria1flowers
(D) It assumes that if Jerome’s professed reason is NOT his only reason, then it cannot be a real reason for Jerome at all.
Pay careful attention to the word NOT in option (D).
This word makes the option incorrect. The argument is actually assuming that -
If Jerome’s professed reason IS THE ONLY reason, then it cannot be a real reason for Jerome at all.
Therefore, (E) is the correct answer.
SudhanshuC
Joined: 11 Nov 2024
Last visit: 03 Dec 2024
Posts: 44
Location: Canada
GMAT Focus 1: 595 Q82 V77 DI80
GMAT Focus 1: 595 Q82 V77 DI80
Posts: 44
Answer E
Cost incurred to Jerome = Wage loss of one week + Cost of trip
Since, the places keep changing, therefore, the cost of the trip should change and hence the cost incurred to Jerome should change.
But Jerome always gives cost as the reason for not going on the trip (Wage loss + Trip cost).
The author of this argument then reasons that since cost is always changing, cost (a changing variable) can’t be the reason for Jerome NOT to go on the trip every time.
There is a flaw in the author’s above reasoning.
Although the cost of the trip varies, it may happen that Jerome couldn’t afford the combined cost of wage loss and variable trip cost.
It may happen that if Melvin plans the trip in advance, it actually becomes affordable for Jerome to go on the trip (as Jerome will save the wage loss and the trip cost can also become cheap due to advance booking).
So, Jerome’s reasoning / behavior (unaffordable trip cost) is adequately explained as to why he doesn’t go on the trip.
Cost incurred to Jerome = Wage loss of one week + Cost of trip
Since, the places keep changing, therefore, the cost of the trip should change and hence the cost incurred to Jerome should change.
But Jerome always gives cost as the reason for not going on the trip (Wage loss + Trip cost).
The author of this argument then reasons that since cost is always changing, cost (a changing variable) can’t be the reason for Jerome NOT to go on the trip every time.
There is a flaw in the author’s above reasoning.
Although the cost of the trip varies, it may happen that Jerome couldn’t afford the combined cost of wage loss and variable trip cost.
It may happen that if Melvin plans the trip in advance, it actually becomes affordable for Jerome to go on the trip (as Jerome will save the wage loss and the trip cost can also become cheap due to advance booking).
So, Jerome’s reasoning / behavior (unaffordable trip cost) is adequately explained as to why he doesn’t go on the trip.
Can somebody explain why C is incorrect. I thought it gives another reason as to why he would not be willing to go on trips
SudhanshuC
Joined: 11 Nov 2024
Last visit: 03 Dec 2024
Posts: 44
Location: Canada
GMAT Focus 1: 595 Q82 V77 DI80
GMAT Focus 1: 595 Q82 V77 DI80
Posts: 44
If Jerome has a preference for vacations which are planned in advance, but he fails to communicate it to Melvin, then this act of no communication actually supports the author’s suspicion that Jerome is fudging things.
Since, we are criticizing the author's reasoning and not supporting him, this answer option is incorrect.
Since, we are criticizing the author's reasoning and not supporting him, this answer option is incorrect.
pk14y
bidskamikaze
But I thoght that the word NOT was actually the word that made the answer correct.
M thinks that J's professed reason cannot be the real reason and that there must be other reasons... but assuming that there must be other reasons (so J's professed reason is NOT the only reason), doesn't make that reason not real.
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