Of all the laptops available for sale in Ireland, laptops manufactured

Question

Of all the laptops available for sale in Ireland, laptops manufactured by Ivy Infotech must have the fastest processors. Over the last six months, Ivy Infotech has sold three times as many laptops as its closest competitor. Additionally, Ivy Infotech’s order books are full for the next 12 months.

Which of the following options, if true, most weakens the argument?

(A) Ivy Infotech was severely criticised last year for manufacturing laptops with slow processors.

(B) Apart from laptops, Ivy Infotech also manufactures desktops and tablets, sales of which have declined drastically in the last six months.

(C) At the same time last year, Ivy Infotech had sold 60% more laptops than it has this year.

(D) All the laptop manufacturers in Ireland, including Ivy Infotech, source their processors from the same company.

(E) Due to production bottlenecks, the production of laptops by Ivy Infotech’s rival companies fell by more than 60% in the last six months.

This is a  CR Butler Question

Check the links to other Butler Projects: 
 
   Data Sufficiency Butler 
   Problem Solving Butler  
   Sentence Correction Butler  
   Reading Comprehension Butler  
   Integrated Reasoning Butler

Bunuel · Accepted Answer

Answer: E.

Since this is a weaken question, you know that the stimulus will be worded in the form of an argument. So, the first step is to identify the conclusion and the evidence of this argument.

Conclusion (What is the argument stating):

Laptops manufactured by Ivy Infotech have the fastest processors.

Evidence (Why is the argument stating this):

Ivy Infotech has sold the maximum number of laptops in the last six months in Ireland.

But does this make sense? Can’t there be some other plausible reason why the people in Ireland are buying Ivy Infotech’s laptops? Maybe these laptops have a very sleek design, maybe they have a very long battery life, or maybe they are the cheapest laptops in the market. There can be several other reasons (other than fast processors) why the Irish are buying laptops manufactured by Ivy Infotech. This brings us to the assumption. Remember that since the stimulus is in the form of an argument, it must contain an assumption.

Assumption (the unstated evidence):

So let’s try to predict the assumption. It will be something on the lines of ‘the only difference among the different laptops available in Ireland is the speed of the processor; the laptops are the same in every other aspect’, because in that case if the people are still buying Ivy Infotech’s laptops then these laptops must have the fastest processors, else people would be buying some other company’s laptops.

Weakener:

So, now that we have identified the conclusion, the evidence, and the assumption, the answer choice that best tells us that the assumption may NOT be true has to weaken the argument. In essence, this option will provide us with some other reason (other than faster processors) why the sales of Ivy Infotech’s laptops have been very high. E does this best and should be the correct answer. For clarity, let’s also take a look at the other answer choices:

(A) It is very much possible that because of this criticism that Ivy Infotech equipped its laptops with faster processors. So, by no stretch does this option weaken the argument.

(B) Desktops and tablets are outside the scope of the argument. The fact remains that Ivy Infotech’s laptops have outsold those of its rivals by a large margin. We need to show that this was not because of the faster processors and this option fails to do so.

(C) This option states that overall Ivy Infotech has performed worse this year than it did last year but we are not concerned with this. The fact remains that Ivy Infotech’s laptops have outsold those of its rivals by a huge margin. We need to show that this was not because of the faster processors and this option fails to do so.

(D) Looks good but doesn’t necessarily weaken the argument. The fact that all the companies in Ireland source their processors from the same company does not mean that the processors are all the same. Those sourced by Ivy Infotech could very well be faster than those sourced by its rival firms.

(E) This option gives you an alternative reason why Ivy Infotech has sold more laptops than its rivals. It was not because of demand side pull but because of supply side constraints. Because of the production bottlenecks at Ivy Infotech’s rival companies’ plants, Ivy Infotech’s laptops were probably available in the market in much larger numbers than those of its rivals, which is why they sold more. Hence, this option weakens the argument by providing you with an alternative explanation to the one mentioned in the stimulus.

Biswadeep20 · Answer

Conclusion: Ivy Info must have the fastest processors. 
Premises: 3 times sales done by Ivy compared to its closest competitor. Ivy's order books are full for next 12 months.

A. Premise is about last 6 months and future 12 months. So whether it was criticised last year doesn't make a difference. Incorrect
B. What additional products Ivy make aren't our concern. Incorrect
C. Comparing last year's sales vs this year has no impact. Incorrect
D. If all of them including Ivy are sourcing from the same company, then it is not the processor but something else causing the rise in sales. Correct
E. Production of rival companies falling doesn't indicate the sales also fell. Production is not equivalent to sales. Incorrect

D is the weakener.

Posted from my mobile device

abhilashsingh · Answer

Scope: Ivy infotech had great sales than it's compettitors -> so processing power must have been the reason

Which of the following options, if true, most weakens the argument?

(A) Ivy Infotech was severely criticised last year for manufacturing laptops with slow processors.

(B) Apart from laptops, Ivy Infotech also manufactures desktops and tablets, sales of which have declined drastically in the last six months.

(C) At the same time last year, Ivy Infotech had sold 60% more laptops than it has this year.

(D) All the laptop manufacturers in Ireland, including Ivy Infotech, source their processors from the same company.

(E) Due to production bottlenecks, the production of laptops by Ivy Infotech’s rival companies fell by more than 60% in the last six months.

E Weakens the most as it provides another reason than processing speed for more sales than it's competitors.

pudu · Answer

It is said that the firm is selling more than its competitor and its order book is full. If the total production is lesser than its normal production then it means that the firm is not in a good state. Hence E

simran01 · Answer

D clearly states that all the companies buy same type of processor, so the Ivy company does not have the fastest processor. 
So, why is D wrong and E correct?

abhilashsingh · Answer

For weakening questions, we can identify the alternate cause of why Ivy's sales were more than its competitors.

Here, D says that every company sources its processor from the same company but doesn't help in answering why doing so makes one company outperform in sales than its competitors.

mnz27 · Answer

d is incorrect because the stem states all the laptops available for sale in ireland, D doesnt tell us about brands of laptops which are being sold produced outside the country

guipjf · Answer

Here is my reasoning for this question.

Let's first understand the conclusion and the premises supporting it.
Conclusion:
   Laptops manufactured by Ivy Infotech must have the fastest processors

Premises:
    Over the last six months , Ivy Infotech has sold three times as many laptops as its closest competitor  
   Infotech’s order books are full for the next 12 months.

Now, let's digest the alternatives.
 
 Ivy Infotech was severely  criticized last year . The premise supporting the conclusion mentioned that Infotech has sold three times as many laptops as its closest competitor over the  last six months . Therefore, this alternative is out of the time scope.

This alternative would weaken the conclusion only if we assume that the desktops and tablets use the same processor as the laptops's. Since the argument is not asserting that, we could eliminate this choice.

This alternative is comparing the number of laptops sold in two different periods. However, the argument is comparing the number of laptops sold between Ivy Infotech and its closest competitor.

Again, this alternative would weaken the conclusion only if we assume that the processors that are sold to the laptop manufacturers are the same. Since the argument does not mention that, we cannot assume such a thing.

This is the best alternative since it provides facts that explain why the number of laptops sold by Ivy Infotech’s rival companies has felt the last six month, attacking the argument's conclusion.

Nikhilayug · Answer

Hi, I am a little confused. Isn't option E more an attack on the premises than on the conclusion?

Posted from my mobile device

Ishmeet7 · Answer

The conclusion is that Ivy  must  have the fastest processors. We need to break that conclusion. Don't agree with the OA tbh.

E is a shell answer at best, one that looks nice and apt but doesn't fundamentally attack the conclusion.

Can anyone present a solid reason to say why D is wrong and if yes, what the conclusion is?

KD_Mumbai · Answer

Because D doesn't mention all the sellers in Ireland, It says all the manufacturers in Ireland.
Thus, There can be sellers who are not buying the processor from the same company and still not selling as much as Ivy.
The first line of the passage specifically mentions "Of all the laptops  available for sale i n Ireland"

Ads_2025 · Answer

It's stated that all the Laptop companies in Ireland source processors from the same company , not the same type of processor.

RiyaJ0032 · Answer

this is a poorly made up argument

the thing is that, E gives us an alternate reason for Ivy's having 3 times as many sales as it's rival but does not tell us whether Ivy has a faster processor

it can be that because other rivals had decreased production, Ivy stepped into compensate and it can also happen that along with compensating , Ivy also incorporated faster processor in it's system

because the stem just talks about Ivy's sales vis a vis rivals , not individually

let's say now (sales data), rivals (100), Ivy (300)
earlier , Rivals (165), Ivy (200)

so Ivy not only experienced increase in sales it also experienced increase in sales vis a vis it's rival

so it can be that the reason for this increased sale could be faster process + decreased production by rivals

E does not entirely negate this possibility

francine8375 · Answer

(D) All the laptop manufacturers in Ireland, including Ivy Infotech, source their processors from the same company. 
 Same supplier doesn't mean that all manufacturers buy the same processor model, Ivy may buy the fastest model for its production while other manufacturers don't do so.---> to eliminate

(E) Due to production bottlenecks, the production of laptops by Ivy Infotech’s rival companies fell by more than 60% in the last six months. 
 It perfectly provides another reason for why Ivy occupies much more market share than others : because others can not meet the market demands sufficiently rather than Ivy has some outstanding product quality: fastest processors ---> correct

AryakiSekera · Answer

I am still not sure about E or D. E says that production of rival companies fell but that requires the assumption that they did not have a stock, or that they perhaps reduced production due to lack in sale. D directly weakens it as if the processors are coming from the same place then there is no reason to believe that they would be of different qualities, thus processors cannot be the reason for the increased sale. Where am I going wrong in my reasoning?

guddo · Answer

Of all the laptops available for sale in Ireland, laptops manufactured by Ivy Infotech must have the fastest processors. Over the last six months, Ivy Infotech has sold three times as many laptops as its closest competitor. Additionally, Ivy Infotech’s order books are full for the next 12 months. 
 
Which of the following options, if true, most weakens the argument?

The argument concludes that Ivy Infotech must have the fastest processors because it is selling far more laptops than its competitors and has a full order book.  The key flaw  is that it assumes high sales and strong future demand must be caused by processor speed.  A different explanation for Ivy’s sales would weaken the argument.

(A) Ivy Infotech was severely criticised last year for manufacturing laptops with slow processors.

This weakens the argument a little, but not enough. Things may have changed since last year, so Ivy could still now make the fastest processors.

(B) Apart from laptops, Ivy Infotech also manufactures desktops and tablets, sales of which have declined drastically in the last six months.

This is irrelevant. The argument is only about Ivy’s laptops.

(C) At the same time last year, Ivy Infotech had sold 60% more laptops than it has this year.

This does not weaken the argument much. Ivy may still currently outsell rivals and have full order books.

(D) All the laptop manufacturers in Ireland, including Ivy Infotech, source their processors from the same company.

This weakens the argument somewhat, but not decisively. They could still be buying different processor models from that same company, so Ivy could still have faster processors.

(E) Due to production bottlenecks, the production of laptops by Ivy Infotech’s rival companies fell by more than 60% in the last six months.

This is the strongest weakener. It gives a clear alternative reason why Ivy sold far more laptops and has full order books: the rivals could not produce enough laptops. So Ivy’s sales advantage does not show that its laptops must have the fastest processors.

Answer: (E)

AbhishekP220108 · Answer

Hi  AryakiSekera  let me try to help

Well the author is concluding that Ivy tech must have fastest processor, why? Because it sold 3times than its competitor and laptops from Ivy tech are pre booked for additionally 12 months.

So basically author is assuming that higher sales is happening because they have fastest processor. What if some other reason is contributing factor in increased sales?

Option D is saying all laptop manufacturers buy there processors from same company. Well this may be the weakener but have some ambiguity. How we are assuring all laptop companies are getting same processors. It might be possible that the processor company is making processor as per the need and requirement of laptop companies and differ in specification. So not a good one.

Whereas option E talks about the other reason of increased sales. Competitor productions falls by 60% and as per the argument we can see that they sold less in comparison to Ivy tech. So the reason is production difference not the processors

Hope this helps

Adit_ · Answer

Option E is the correct one and option D is incorrect but it is a weakener if option E does not exist.
Again CR questions is always about finding the best option right.

Option D is a weak weakener because they are sourcing it from same company but Ivy personally must be doing changes to it after buying the processors.

Of all the laptops available for sale in Ireland, laptops manufactured

Prep Toolkit

Top 5 GMAT Debrief Videos

615 to 715 in 15 Days (Ria's Strategies)

More than Quant/Verbal Abilities: Speed vs. Accuracy

745 with Only Self-Prep and GMAT Club

From 555 to 765: 210-point Improvement

Perfect 805 Score Debrief by Julia

GMAT Critical Reasoning (CR) Questions

Of all the laptops available for sale in Ireland, laptops manufactured

Prep Toolkit

615 to 715 in 15 Days (Ria's Strategies)

More than Quant/Verbal Abilities: Speed vs. Accuracy

745 with Only Self-Prep and GMAT Club

From 555 to 765: 210-point Improvement

Perfect 805 Score Debrief by Julia