Events & Promotions
|
|
GMAT Club Daily Prep
Thank you for using the timer - this advanced tool can estimate your performance and suggest more practice questions. We have subscribed you to Daily Prep Questions via email.
Customized
for You
Track
Your Progress
Practice
Pays
Not interested in getting valuable practice questions and articles delivered to your email? No problem, unsubscribe here.
Apr 2308:00 PM PDT
-09:00 PM PDT
Video explanations + diagnosis of 10 weakest areas + 150+ short videos + study plan!
Apr 2301:30 AM EDT
-02:30 AM EDT
Struggling with GMAT Verbal as a non-native speaker? Harsh improved his score from 595 to 695 in just 45 days—and scored a 99 %ile in Verbal (V88)! Learn how smart strategy, clarity, and guided prep helped him gain 100 points.
Apr 2512:30 AM EDT
-01:30 AM EDT
At one point, she believed GMAT wasn’t for her. After scoring 595, self-doubt crept in and she questioned her potential. But instead of quitting, she made the right strategic changes. The result? A remarkable comeback to 695. Check out how Saakshi did it.
Apr 2610:00 AM EDT
-11:00 AM EDT
The Target Test Prep course represents a quantum leap forward in GMAT preparation, a radical reinterpretation of the way that students should study. Try before you buy with a 5-day, full-access trial of the course for FREE!
Apr 2711:00 AM EDT
-12:00 PM EDT
Prefer video-based learning? The Target Test Prep OnDemand course is a one-of-a-kind video masterclass featuring 400 hours of lecture-style teaching by Scott Woodbury-Stewart, founder of Target Test Prep and one of the most accomplished GMAT instructors
Apr 2808:00 AM PDT
-11:00 AM PDT
Whether you are just beginning your MBA journey or fine-tuning your path to a 700+ score, GMAT Day is designed to give you a competitive edge.
genericUser
Joined: 31 Jan 2022
Last visit: 22 Dec 2023
Posts: 111
Given Kudos: 35
Location: Italy
Schools: SDA Bocconi "24 (M)
GMAT 1: 670 Q49 V33
GMAT 2: 690 Q47 V37
GPA: 3.9
13 Feb 2022, 03:36
Kudos
Bookmarks
B
Be sure to select an answer first to save it in the Error Log before revealing the correct answer (OA)!
Difficulty:
85%
(hard)
Question Stats:
35% (01:20) correct
65%
(01:21)
wrong
based on 153
sessions
History
Date
Time
Result
Not Attempted Yet
AutoCar is a car manufacturer in Country X. Over the past eight months, car sales in Country X have risen by more than 20 percent.
Therefore, AutoCar's sales over the past eight months have most probably risen by more than 20 percent.
The argument is flawed primarily because the author _____________.
(A) draws a general conclusion based on a short period of time
(B) fails to distinguish between a product and a brand
(C) fails to distinguish between cars manufactured and sold in Country X, and cars manufactured outside Country X and sold in Country X
(D) draws a specific conclusion based on a single case
(E) does not provide information about any other car manufacturer in Country X other than AutoCar
This is an Argument Flaw question. You are required to locate the inherent flaw in the argument's conclusion or in its underlying assumption. In this argument, sentences 1 and 2 are premises, citing straightforward facts. Sentence 3 is the conclusion, as it begins with the conclusion conjunction Therefore:
Premise A: AutoCar makes cars in Country X
+
Premise B: car sales have risen by 20% in the last 8 months
≠
Conclusion: AutoCar's sales have probably risen by 20%
The premise discusses a trend that characterizes a product, namely, cars. The conclusion, on the other hand, is drawn about a specific brand (i.e., AutoCar). The author's flaw is that he fails to distinguish between these two things resulting in an inaccurate statement about AutoCar's sales. It is possible, for example, that car sales of other manufacturers have risen by more than 30%, but sales of AutoCar's cars specifically have dropped. In this case, sales of the product 'car' will have risen by 20%, while sales of the specific brand of "AutoCar" will not rise by 20%.
Therefore, AutoCar's sales over the past eight months have most probably risen by more than 20 percent.
The argument is flawed primarily because the author _____________.
(A) draws a general conclusion based on a short period of time
(B) fails to distinguish between a product and a brand
(C) fails to distinguish between cars manufactured and sold in Country X, and cars manufactured outside Country X and sold in Country X
(D) draws a specific conclusion based on a single case
(E) does not provide information about any other car manufacturer in Country X other than AutoCar
Show SpoilerOfficial Solution
This is an Argument Flaw question. You are required to locate the inherent flaw in the argument's conclusion or in its underlying assumption. In this argument, sentences 1 and 2 are premises, citing straightforward facts. Sentence 3 is the conclusion, as it begins with the conclusion conjunction Therefore:
Premise A: AutoCar makes cars in Country X
+
Premise B: car sales have risen by 20% in the last 8 months
≠
Conclusion: AutoCar's sales have probably risen by 20%
The premise discusses a trend that characterizes a product, namely, cars. The conclusion, on the other hand, is drawn about a specific brand (i.e., AutoCar). The author's flaw is that he fails to distinguish between these two things resulting in an inaccurate statement about AutoCar's sales. It is possible, for example, that car sales of other manufacturers have risen by more than 30%, but sales of AutoCar's cars specifically have dropped. In this case, sales of the product 'car' will have risen by 20%, while sales of the specific brand of "AutoCar" will not rise by 20%.
13 Feb 2022, 09:16
Kudos
Bookmarks
Hello, everyone. I know that an OE is provided in the spoiler, but sometimes such explanations focus more on the correct answer than on how to disprove the others. (I have not read through this particular OE.)
Perhaps the question makes more sense now. Good luck with your studies.
- Andrew
rseglia
The argument is simple: Because car sales in general within Country X have increased by more than 20 percent over a certain period of time, car sales for AutoCar within the same country and time period have most probably risen by more than 20 percent. That seems a bit simplistic, right? We have no idea what the competition may look like or how large a market share AutoCar may have in Country X. What do the answer choices hold in store?
Quote:
The duration for the sales figures is beside the point. Whether eight months, days, or years may be considered, a legitimate comparison (of some sort) can still be made.
Quote:
Exactly. AutoCar manufactures (and presumably sells) cars—a product—and the argument applies general sales trends to AutoCar—a brand—in particular. There is nothing to argue with in this answer choice.
Quote:
Why does such a distinction need to be made? The argument is based on car sales in Country X. Where those cars were produced does not affect these sales statistics.
Quote:
The attribution is incorrect. Rather, a specific conclusion is drawn from a general pool of data, a sales trend on cars in Country X. If you want to argue that the single case refers to cars and that other types of products should have been considered, then, well, that would have nothing to do with the product manufactured by AutoCar, and the sales trend would be less applicable.
Quote:
Although this consideration could be seen as problematic for the argument, and it does touch on my earlier thoughts after reading the passage, it is not a logical flaw, especially because any other car manufacturer could refer to just one. Maybe there are five such manufacturers in Country X, but if we had information on just two, the argument would be just as flawed. I would call this a second-best option, one that could weaken the argument in a different question altogether. But that brings us back to a CR fundamental: never lose sight of the question itself. We are asked to point out a logical flaw in this particular argument, the one that says AutoCar probably had sales figures that fell in line with auto sales figures for the whole country. What underlies that assumption is a generalization, not necessarily a manufacturer-to-manufacturer comparison.
Perhaps the question makes more sense now. Good luck with your studies.
- Andrew
12 Oct 2023, 08:20
Kudos
Bookmarks
Automated notice from GMAT Club VerbalBot:
A member just gave Kudos to this thread, showing it’s still useful. I’ve bumped it to the top so more people can benefit. Feel free to add your own questions or solutions.
This post was generated automatically.
A member just gave Kudos to this thread, showing it’s still useful. I’ve bumped it to the top so more people can benefit. Feel free to add your own questions or solutions.
This post was generated automatically.
