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28 Aug 2023, 01:30
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C
Be sure to select an answer first to save it in the Error Log before revealing the correct answer (OA)!
Difficulty:
75%
(hard)
Question Stats:
51% (01:52) correct
49%
(02:10)
wrong
based on 284
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It appears that the number of people employed by a typical American software firm decreased in the 1980s and 1990s. This trend is borne out by two studies, conducted 20 years apart. In a large 1980 sample of randomly chosen American software firms, the median size of the firms’ workforce populations was 65. When those same firms were studied again in 2000, the median size was 57.
Which of the following points to the most serious logical flaw in the reasoning above?
A. The median number of employees in American firms in many industries decreased during the 1980s and 1990s.
B. During the 1980s and 1990s, many software firms increased the extent to which they relied on subcontractors to write code.
C. The data in the studies refer only to companies that existed in 1980.
D. The studies focused on the number of employees, but there are many ways of judging a firm’s size, such as revenues and profits.
E. The median number of employees is not as sound a measure of the number of employees employed in an industry as is the mean number of employees, which accounts for the vast size of the few large firms that dominate most industries.
Which of the following points to the most serious logical flaw in the reasoning above?
A. The median number of employees in American firms in many industries decreased during the 1980s and 1990s.
B. During the 1980s and 1990s, many software firms increased the extent to which they relied on subcontractors to write code.
C. The data in the studies refer only to companies that existed in 1980.
D. The studies focused on the number of employees, but there are many ways of judging a firm’s size, such as revenues and profits.
E. The median number of employees is not as sound a measure of the number of employees employed in an industry as is the mean number of employees, which accounts for the vast size of the few large firms that dominate most industries.
29 Aug 2023, 07:29
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I was confused between C and E, and eventually chose C because I had to pick one. I would still like to know why E is incorrect. Can someone provide a detailed explanation, please?
29 Aug 2023, 08:09
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The argument presents two studies conducted 20 years apart, one in 1980 and another in 2000, comparing the median size of the workforce populations in American software firms. The median size decreased from 65 in 1980 to 57 in 2000. The conclusion drawn from this data is that the number of people employed by a typical American software firm decreased in the 1980s and 1990s.
Answer choice C highlights a limitation in the data: "The data in the studies refer only to companies that existed in 1980."
Here's why this is a flaw in the argument:
Survivorship Bias: The data only includes companies that existed in 1980. This means that if any companies went out of business or were new startups in the 1980s and 1990s, they are not accounted for in the study. If the companies that went out of business were generally smaller, it would bias the results towards showing a decrease in median size even if the remaining firms were stable or growing.
Changing Landscape: The software industry experienced significant changes in the 1980s and 1990s, including the emergence of new technologies and startups. The data does not account for these changes or how they might have affected employment trends in the industry.
In essence, the flaw is that the data only considers a subset of firms, potentially leading to a biased and incomplete view of employment trends in the software industry. This makes it the most serious logical flaw in the argument.
Answer choice C highlights a limitation in the data: "The data in the studies refer only to companies that existed in 1980."
Here's why this is a flaw in the argument:
Survivorship Bias: The data only includes companies that existed in 1980. This means that if any companies went out of business or were new startups in the 1980s and 1990s, they are not accounted for in the study. If the companies that went out of business were generally smaller, it would bias the results towards showing a decrease in median size even if the remaining firms were stable or growing.
Changing Landscape: The software industry experienced significant changes in the 1980s and 1990s, including the emergence of new technologies and startups. The data does not account for these changes or how they might have affected employment trends in the industry.
In essence, the flaw is that the data only considers a subset of firms, potentially leading to a biased and incomplete view of employment trends in the software industry. This makes it the most serious logical flaw in the argument.
