Lexton University began offering Biology 101 courses online as well as

Question

Lexton University began offering Biology 101 courses online as well as in a traditional classroom setting. Students in all sections of the course were given the same final exam. On average, the students in the online sections received higher scores on the final exam than students in the traditional classroom-based sections. Therefore, the students in the online sections learned more about biology than did students in the classroom-based sections.

The argument above is based on which of the following assumptions?

(A) Final exam scores accurately represent how much students learned about​biology.

(B) Most current Lexton students report that they would be interested in taking some but not all of their courses online.

(C) Students from Burbain College who took only online accounting courses scored better on the accounting licensing exam than students who took only traditional class room based accounting courses.

(D) Lexton University should begin offering other introductory courses online.

(E) In post-course surveys, the students enrolled in the online sections reported studying an average of two more hours per week than students in the classroom-based sections.

gloomybison · Answer

(A) Final exam scores accurately represent how much students learned about​biology.
 Correct 
Author assumes that student taking online classes learned better than student taking traditional classes because students in online classes scored better than did students in traditional classes

(B) Most current Lexton students report that they would be interested in taking some but not all of their courses online.
Irrelevant, interests are no issue here

(C) Students from Burbain College who took only online accounting courses scored better on the accounting licensing exam than students who took only traditional class room based accounting courses.
Out of Scope, we are interested in Lexton not Burbain college

(D) Lexton University should begin offering other introductory courses online.
Irrelevant, how is this even an assumption?

(E) In post-course surveys, the students enrolled in the online sections reported studying an average of two more hours per week than students in the classroom-based sections.
We are not told who studied most, so irrelevant

kungfury42 · Answer

The observation is that the students enrolled in the online version of the course scored higher on the test than did the students enrolled in the traditional classroom version of the course.

The inference drawn is that the students enrolled in the online version of the course learnt more about the course than did the students enrolled in the classroom version of the course.

This is as simple as it gets, the most straightforward and likely assumption that can justify the inference drawn based on the provided observation is that author assumes that the scores on the exam are a reflection of one's learning from the course. And this is exactly what is provided in option A, which is our answer.

All of the other options are either not qualified to be an assumption or are irrelevant to the scope of the discussion. Hence, it has to be option A.

PS: Not the way I typically like to answer the CR questions but honestly couldn't help not maintain brevity on this one.

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TarunKumar1234 · Answer

Lexton University began offering Biology 101 courses online as well as in a traditional classroom setting. Students in all sections of the course were given the same final exam. On average, the students in the online sections received higher scores on the final exam than students in the traditional classroom-based sections. Therefore, the students in the online sections learned more about biology than did students in the classroom-based sections.

The argument above is based on which of the following assumptions?

(A) Final exam scores accurately represent how much students learned aboutbiology. -> online students on an averages gets better scores than classroom students and conclusion said, online sections learned more about biology. So, we have a perfect assumption here. Let's keep it.

(B) Most current Lexton students report that they would be interested in taking some but not all of their courses online. -> interest is not what we are looking for. Irrelevant.

(C) Students from Burbain College who took only online accounting courses scored better on the accounting licensing exam than students who took only traditional class room based accounting courses. -> comparison strengthens the conclusion, but it is not the required assumption. Incorrect.

(D) Lexton University should begin offering other introductory courses online. -> Irrelevant.

(E) In post-course surveys, the students enrolled in the online sections reported studying an average of two more hours per week than students in the classroom-based sections -> It may strengthen the conclusion, not an assumption. Incorrect.

So, I think A.

desertEagle · Answer

Argument 
Online students did better in exam than traditional classroom students. So, online students learned more than offline students.

Question type 
Find the assumption

(A) Final exam scores accurately represent how much students learned about​biology. -->  That is a valid assumption. If the exam cannot accurately represent the learnings, then any such conclusion will be far fetched. --> CORRECT

(B) Most current Lexton students report that they would be interested in taking some but not all of their courses online. --> interest doesnot ensure learning. --> INCORRECT

(C) Students from Burbain College who took only online accounting courses scored better on the accounting licensing exam than students who took only traditional class room based accounting courses. -->  this strengthens the claim but is not an assumption --> INCORRECT

(D) Lexton University should begin offering other introductory courses online. -->  this proposes a future plan of action --> Not an assumption --> INCORRECT

(E) In post-course surveys, the students enrolled in the online sections reported studying an average of two more hours per week than students in the classroom-based sections. -->  This weakens the claim that online course was responsible for improved learning as it says that the extra two hrs the students studied may have been responsible for improved learning. --> INCORRECT

UserMaple5 · Answer

Hello, Is there a way to get a notification when the answer is posted? I think it's A but want to double check. Thanks

kungfury42 · Answer

Hi, I had the same question sometime ago, here's what I figured out: 1. You can make a reply with what you think is the best suitable answer, just like you've done right now, and it auto enables notifications for all future updates to the question 2. If you're using desktop web, you can find an option to "follow" this question silently, which basically does the same thing as above but without needing to make a reply. This follow feature is present above the question. 3. Another way is to follow certain users like "Bunuel", "GMATNinja", "Generis" amongst others who post questions and their responses too. If you follow them you get a daily summary of their activities, so whenever they reveal Official Answer and Official Explanation you automatically get that in your email. Hope this is helpful!

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VerbalBot · Answer

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Lexton University began offering Biology 101 courses online as well as

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