Sales of yoga mats from Daniels yoga studio this year were double

Question

Sales of yoga mats from Daniel’s yoga studio this year were double those of the prior year. However, average enrollment per class at Daniel’s studio decreased from the prior year, despite Daniel’s studio being the only yoga studio in town.

Which of the following, if true, most helps to explain the discrepancy in sales?

(A) Daniel offered a greater variety of yoga mats for sale than he had offered the previous year.

(B) The prices of yoga mats in Daniel’s studio increased from the previous year.

(C) Daniel began to teach additional styles of yoga this year, increasing the number of classes offered and attracting new students.

(D)Daniel increased the cost of each of his yoga classes from the previous year.

(E) Daniel’s studio requires that an individual bring his or her own yoga mat to each of the classes.

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Pallavimalik2597 · Answer

Sales of yoga mats from Daniel???s yoga studio this year were double those of the prior year. However, average enrollment per class at Daniel???s studio decreased from the prior year, despite Daniel???s studio being the only yoga studio in town.

Which of the following, if true, most helps to explain the discrepancy in sales?

(A) Daniel offered a greater variety of yoga mats for sale than he had offered the previous year.- More sales of yoga mats but doesn't talk about his yoga class.

(B) The prices of yoga mats in Daniel???s studio increased from the previous year. (Less sale of yoga mats)-Hence Incorrect

(C) Daniel began to teach additional styles of yoga this year, increasing the number of classes offered and attracting new students.-Correct, answers both increase in yoga mats sales and decrease in yoga class participation.

(D)Daniel increased the cost of each of his yoga classes from the previous year. (It means there will be decrease in the participation but doesn't talk about sales of yoga mats)

(E) Daniel???s studio requires that an individual bring his or her own yoga mat to each of the classes. (Doesn't talk about decrease in his yoga classes sales)

Bunuel · Answer

KAPLAN OFFICIAL EXPLANATION:

STEP 1: IDENTIFY THE QUESTION TYPE 
This asks you to explain a discrepancy, so it’s an Explain question.

STEP 2: UNTANGLE THE STIMULUS 
The key word “however” identifies the discrepancy here: despite a decline in enrollments in each yoga class at a particular studio, sales of yoga mats increased.

STEP 3: PREDICT THE ANSWER 
Consider possible explanations: it might be that more people are taking up yoga outside a studio or at a studio outside of town, people are using yoga mats for non-yoga-related activities, more classes are being offered such that per-class enrollment is down but overall enrollment is up, or people now want a different mat for each day of the week—or perhaps there are other explanations. There’s no way to know exactly what will show up in the correct answer, so predict anything that would increase demand for yoga mats without increasing class size.

STEP 4: EVALUATE THE CHOICES 
An increase in the number of classes as well as the addition of new students,  (C), explains the discrepancy . Even if per-class enrollment is down, more classes means overall enrollment could be up, and new students probably don’t already have mats and need to buy them. (A) only explains the increase in sales if you further assume that people like to buy different types of mats when they are available, and there is no evidence for this. (B) deepens the mystery; if the price of mats has gone up, then all else being equal, you’d expect sales to go down. (D) may explain the decrease in yoga class enrollment, but it does not address the increase in yoga mat sales. (E) would only work if this requirement were new this year; however, the stimulus does not say this is the case.

EMPOWERgmatVerbal · Answer

Explain questions present two facts that seem to be inconsistent, and we need to find the option that could explain how both of those facts could coexis.

Despite average class enrollment decreasing this year, sales of yoga mats at Daniel's studio (the only one in town) have doubled. Our job is to find an option that reconciles these two seemingly contradictory pieces of information.

(A) Daniel offering a greater variety of mats might explain an increase in sales, but it doesn't touch on why fewer people are coming to classes. It doesn't resolve the contradiction.

(B) Higher prices for the mats could potentially explain higher sales revenue. However, just like option (A), it doesn't address the drop in class enrollment. So, this one doesn't fit the bill.

(C) Now we're talking! If Daniel added more yoga styles to his repertoire, he probably added more classes too. This could've attracted new students who bought mats, hence the surge in sales. But if these new students are spread out over more classes, the average enrollment per class could still go down, despite a rise in total students. This option neatly addresses both parts of the paradox.

(D) If Daniel increased the cost of his classes, this could explain why fewer people are coming to class. But, this doesn't tell us why mat sales have increased. So, this one isn't our answer.

(E) Requiring each student to bring their own mat could boost mat sales, but it doesn't provide a reason for the drop in class enrollment.

After looking at all the options, (C) stands out as the one that best explains the paradox.

andrenoble · Answer

C does explain the paradox (and probably slightly better than d), but D is also a logical option: people can but mats from Daniel's yoga studio and e.g., use online yoga classes.

VerbalBot · Answer

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Sales of yoga mats from Daniels yoga studio this year were double

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Sales of yoga mats from Daniels yoga studio this year were double

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