Participants at a continuing legal education seminar were asked to eva

Question

Participants at a continuing legal education seminar were asked to evaluate the seminar schedule, location and topic selection to determine whether changes would increase attendance at next year’s seminar. A majority of the evaluations recommended that the seminar schedule be changed so that the sessions would be held from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. instead of the current 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. schedule. Based upon the results of the evaluations, the sponsors of the seminar decided to change to an earlier schedule for next year’s program.

Which of the following selections, if true, would most prove the sponsors right in their decision to change to an earlier schedule next year?

(A) Approximately 85% of the people who received evaluation forms completed their forms and handed them in.

(B) Other seminar sponsors have made changes in their programs based on comments they have received in evaluation forms.

(C) About the same percentage of people attending the seminar wanted the earlier schedule as those who returned their evaluation forms.

(D) An earlier seminar schedule would make commuting easier for the participants.

(E) A significantly larger percentage of people who preferred the earlier schedule returned their evaluation forms than people who preferred the 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. schedule.

Bunuel · Accepted Answer

Official Explanation

The argument presumes that the comments in the evaluation forms are representative of all the people who attended the seminar. So the reliability of the preferences expressed in the evaluation forms depends upon how representative they are of all seminar participants. If the evaluation comments
were representative of all participants, then reliance upon them would be warranted in determining the schedule for next year.

Upon first glance, selection (A) looks correct. But a close reading of selection (A) suggests there might be a problem with how many people actually received the evaluation forms. If the evaluation forms were handed out only at every other table, then the comments might be representative of only half of the participants. Selections (B) and (D) are irrelevant to the argument here. Selection (E) weakens the reliability of the results rather than strengthens them because it appears that a rather small number of people would have a big impact on the results.  Selection (C) is correct  because it strengthens the connection between the sample and the general population. It states that the percentage results would be the same for the sample who returned evaluation forms and for all people who attended the seminar.

Saasingh · Answer

(A) Approximately 85% of the people who received evaluation forms completed their forms and handed them in.

Wrong. For example : If majority of the people voted for earlier timings, it means that greater than 42.5% voted in favor of time changes. Now the percentage could be 45% or 60%, we dont know. 
In case it is 45%, the people who did not receive the evaluation forms fall in the 55% bracket. This weakens our case. 
However in case it is 60%, the people who did not receive the evaluation forms fall in the 40% bracket. This strengthens our case.

(C) About the same percentage of people attending the seminar wanted the earlier schedule as those who returned their evaluation forms.

Right. Because if the people who voted in favor of time change are the majority of the "attendees" crowd, paying heed to their demands makes sense. 
It doesn't matter if we listen to those who didn't attend the seminar.
We strengthen here by show casing that the people we listened to actually were the majority of the attendees.

waytowharton · Answer

KarishmaB  and other experts,

What is wrong in option D? Isn't it strengthening the argument by giving details that earlier seminar schedule would make commuting easier for the participants.

Please do help.

KarishmaB · Answer

Here is the thing about these general surveys - not many people are motivated to participate in them. We are asked by many apps to take a small survey after getting the service. Normally, most people ignore those, right? When do you feel compelled to give feedback? Often when you don't like something (or really really like something) and want them to makes some changes so that you have a better experience next time. If the service is what you expected, you don't normally want to put in the effort to complete the survey and submit it. 
Remember this in these survey kind of questions.

Who is likely to evaluate the seminar schedule? The one who wants to change the time to an earlier time. So even if all respondents of the evaluation request an earlier time, it doesn't mean that all participants want an earlier time. 
The organizers have decided to make the change. What will support their decision? If we know that people who want an earlier time are fairly represented in the group of respondents. If we know that there is actually no sampling bias. 
Option (C) tells us that if 100 people participated in the seminar and 10 sent their evaluation of the schedule with 8 of them suggesting an earlier time, 80 people out of the 100 want an earlier time. That is, about the same percentage of people attending the seminar wanted the earlier schedule as those who returned their evaluation forms.

That is why (C) is correct.

(D) An earlier seminar schedule would make commuting easier for the participants.
We know that majority of the respondents want an earlier time. Why they may want an earlier time is irrelevant. We cannot decide what all participants may want based on how an earlier time may be useful in one aspect. Think about it - what if most people drop their kids to school in the morning and then go to office/seminar etc. Perhaps the kids need to be dropped at 8:30 so even though traffic is more at that time, they prefer 9 to 5. If the time is changed to 8 to 4, they will likely not attend the seminar. SO just because an earlier time is more suitable in one respect (easier commuting) it doesn't mean that people will prefer it. 
Hence (D) is incorrect.

unraveled · Answer

Participants at a continuing legal education seminar were asked to evaluate the seminar schedule, location and topic selection to determine whether changes would increase attendance at next year’s seminar. A majority of the evaluations recommended that the seminar schedule be changed so that the sessions would be held from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. instead of the current 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. schedule. Based upon the results of the evaluations, the sponsors of the seminar decided to change to an earlier schedule for next year’s program.

Which of the following selections, if true, would most prove the sponsors right in their decision to change to an earlier schedule next year?

(A) Approximately 85% of the people  who received evaluation forms completed their forms  and handed them in. - WRONG. What is the scale of people "who received evaluation forms completed their forms"? We don't know whether it is representative of the actually majority and thus this is not the right answer.

(B)  Other seminar sponsors have made changes in their programs  based on comments they have received in evaluation forms. - WRONG. Is it necessary for the sponsors to make changes since others have done so? Not necessarily.

(C) About the same percentage of people attending the seminar wanted the earlier schedule as those who returned their evaluation forms. - CORRECT. Ratio-wise this is the right way of sampling and concluding. Majority = majority and minority = minority at any level.

(D) An earlier seminar schedule would make commuting easier for the  participants . - WRONG. Not sure of the scale of the "participants".

(E) A significantly larger percentage of people who preferred the earlier schedule returned their evaluation forms than people who preferred the 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. schedule. - WRONG. Let's say, people who wanted earlier schedule are 100 and people who wanted later are again 100. But, out of 100, in the earlier case, 70% 
returned forms seeking 8am schedule and in the latter case only 20% returned. What if this 100(70%) doesn't represent the participants sample. What if 8am people are only 50 and 9am are 500 or 5000. Thus, this has it's own shortcomings.

Answer C.

VerbalBot · Answer

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