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GmatStuck
Joined: 15 Sep 2021
Last visit: 03 Feb 2026
Posts: 59
Concentration: Finance
Schools: Columbia CBS '24 Haas '24 Wharton '24 Yale '24
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Schools: Columbia CBS '24 Haas '24 Wharton '24 Yale '24
Posts: 59
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:
58% (02:21) correct
42%
(02:38)
wrong
based on 452
sessions
History
Date
Time
Result
Not Attempted Yet
Certain changes in North American residential architecture after World War II are attributable mainly to the increased availability and affordability of air-conditioning. Soon after World War II, many builders found that air-conditioned houses lacking the high ceilings and thick walls that traditionally kept residents cool during extreme heat generally sold well.
Which one of the following, if true, most seriously weakens the argument?
(A) High ceilings and thick walls enable houses to withstand many types of severe weather that are common in North America.
(B) Thin-walled, low-ceilinged houses are more costly to heat in winter than thick-walled, high-ceilinged houses.
(C) Houses with low ceilings and thin walls were prevalent in North America even where there was no demand for residential air-conditioning.
(D) Thin walls allow cool, air-conditioned air to escape more readily from houses than do thick walls.
(E) Soon after World War II, new thermal-insulating technology was widely applied in house building.
Which one of the following, if true, most seriously weakens the argument?
(A) High ceilings and thick walls enable houses to withstand many types of severe weather that are common in North America.
(B) Thin-walled, low-ceilinged houses are more costly to heat in winter than thick-walled, high-ceilinged houses.
(C) Houses with low ceilings and thin walls were prevalent in North America even where there was no demand for residential air-conditioning.
(D) Thin walls allow cool, air-conditioned air to escape more readily from houses than do thick walls.
(E) Soon after World War II, new thermal-insulating technology was widely applied in house building.
C is the correct answer
Weaken answers for cause and effect broadly fall in one of the below categories:
1. There are other causes
2. The cause happened but the effect did not
3. The effect happened but the cause did not
Option C is of type 3
Ria
Weaken answers for cause and effect broadly fall in one of the below categories:
1. There are other causes
2. The cause happened but the effect did not
3. The effect happened but the cause did not
Option C is of type 3
Ria
Increased availability and affordability of air-conditioning --> Increase in sales of houses with low ceilings and thin walls
(A) High ceilings and thick walls enable houses to withstand many types of severe weather that are common in North America.
Incorrect, this has no impact, we want an option that decreases our confidence in the cause-effect relationship, knowing how many weathers can houses withstand doesn't help on that front.
(B) Thin-walled, low-ceilinged houses are more costly to heat in winter than thick-walled, high-ceilinged houses.
Incorrect, this has no impact, knowing costs doesn't change our confidence in the cause-effect relationship.
(C) Houses with low ceilings and thin walls were prevalent in North America even where there was no demand for residential air-conditioning.
Correct, this casts a doubt that Increased availability and affordability of air-conditioning led to an Increase in sales of houses with low ceilings and thin walls.
(D) Thin walls allow cool, air-conditioned air to escape more readily from houses than do thick walls.
Incorrect, doesn't decrease our confidence in the cause-effect relationship. In fact, this leads us to think that thin walls houses are more favorable than thick walls during air-conditioning, somehow strengthens the conclusion.
(E) Soon after World War II, new thermal-insulating technology was widely applied in house building.
Incorrect, no impact, this talks about another technology so doesn't affect our confidence in the cause-effect relationship.
_________________
(A) High ceilings and thick walls enable houses to withstand many types of severe weather that are common in North America.
Incorrect, this has no impact, we want an option that decreases our confidence in the cause-effect relationship, knowing how many weathers can houses withstand doesn't help on that front.
(B) Thin-walled, low-ceilinged houses are more costly to heat in winter than thick-walled, high-ceilinged houses.
Incorrect, this has no impact, knowing costs doesn't change our confidence in the cause-effect relationship.
(C) Houses with low ceilings and thin walls were prevalent in North America even where there was no demand for residential air-conditioning.
Correct, this casts a doubt that Increased availability and affordability of air-conditioning led to an Increase in sales of houses with low ceilings and thin walls.
(D) Thin walls allow cool, air-conditioned air to escape more readily from houses than do thick walls.
Incorrect, doesn't decrease our confidence in the cause-effect relationship. In fact, this leads us to think that thin walls houses are more favorable than thick walls during air-conditioning, somehow strengthens the conclusion.
(E) Soon after World War II, new thermal-insulating technology was widely applied in house building.
Incorrect, no impact, this talks about another technology so doesn't affect our confidence in the cause-effect relationship.
_________________
Nothing is impossible when you have a self-belief
changes in residential architecture - attributed to the increased availability and affordability of AC.
after ww 2, AC houses lacking high ceiling and thick walls generally sold well.
A this is completely out of scope and has no impact at all.
B wrong comparison. not concerned with this.
C that means there was no correlation mentioned in the passage. may be the builders were thinking too ahead of time and eventually at the same increased availability and affordability of AC happened. so this weakens it.
D this somewhat strengthen it. reject.
E but this could happen simultaneously with increased availability and affordability of AC.
after ww 2, AC houses lacking high ceiling and thick walls generally sold well.
A this is completely out of scope and has no impact at all.
B wrong comparison. not concerned with this.
C that means there was no correlation mentioned in the passage. may be the builders were thinking too ahead of time and eventually at the same increased availability and affordability of AC happened. so this weakens it.
D this somewhat strengthen it. reject.
E but this could happen simultaneously with increased availability and affordability of AC.
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