Over the past 6 years, prices of peripheral computer equipment in

Question

Over the past 6 years, prices of peripheral computer equipment in Country X, such as printers, mice, and keyboards, have dropped significantly. However, the revenues of computer stores in Country X have increased over the same period.

Which of the following, if true, contributes most to reconciling the seeming discrepancy described above?

Which of the following, if true, contributes most to reconciling the seeming discrepancy described above?

A. Prices of personal computers have also decreased over the past 6 years.

B. Over the past 6 years, the prices of peripheral computer equipment in Country Y have soared.

C. Over the past 6 years, the prices of peripheral computer equipment in Country Y have decreased.

D. Sales of computers in Country X have increased by more than 200% over the past 6 years.

E. The number of computer stores in Country X has more than doubled over the past 6 years.

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

Shubhradeep · Answer

Correct option should be D

Fairly easy one!
We are asked which one reconciles the discrepency that can be described from the passage that prices have been dropped but the revenues have been increased. This is only possible if the sales are increased. This is common sense.

option A is out of context.  PCs are not being talked about.
for options B and C, there is no point of comparing the sales and revenues of country X to country Y in order to solve country X's discrepency.  Out of Context. 
 option E says,  stores have been doubled, but if prices are dropped and sales are same throughout all the stores, the revenue cannot spike up,  So this is a wrong choice.

Only Option D says that  the sales have also increased by 200% which will make up the revenue generation.

Hence, correct option is D

PranavVyas · Answer

D. Sales of computers in Country X have increased by more than 200% over the past 6 years.
- Computer stores can increase their revenues by selling more computers, even if the prices are dropped of equipment's.

A. Prices of personal computers have also decreased over the past 6 years. - Out of scope

B. Over the past 6 years, the prices of peripheral computer equipment in Country Y have soared.- Out of scope

C. Over the past 6 years, the prices of peripheral computer equipment in Country Y have decreased.- Out of scope

E. The number of computer stores in Country X has more than doubled over the past 6 years- introduces another discrepancy

IMO-D

Bunuel · Answer

OFFICIAL EXPLANATION

Over the past 6 years, prices of peripheral computer equipment in Country X, such as printers, mice, and keyboards, have dropped significantly. However, the revenues of computer stores in Country X have increased over the same period.

Which of the following, if true, contributes most to reconciling the seeming discrepancy described above?

Which of the following, if true, contributes most to reconciling the seeming discrepancy described above?

A. Prices of personal computers have also decreased over the past 6 years.

Incorrect.

This is a Paradox question, so it is made up of premises only; you need to find a new premise which best resolves the apparent discrepancy between the existing premises:

Premise A: in the past 6 years, the prices of computer accessories have dropped by a lot
 ✖
Premise C: revenues of computer stores increased during this period

Resolving Premise: ?

This answer choice emphasizes the discrepancy. If there were a decrease not only in the prices of peripheral computer equipment but also in the prices of personal computers, we would expect the revenues of computer stores in Country X to decrease further, not to increase.

B. Over the past 6 years, the prices of peripheral computer equipment in Country Y have soared.

Incorrect.

Country Y is outside the scope of this argument.

C. Over the past 6 years, the prices of peripheral computer equipment in Country Y have decreased.

Incorrect.

Country Y is outside the scope of this argument.

D. Sales of computers in Country X have increased by more than 200% over the past 6 years.

If the sales of actual computers in Country X soared dramatically, the revenues of computer stores would also rise, despite the drop in the prices of the other equipment.

E. The number of computer stores in Country X has more than doubled over the past 6 years.

Incorrect.

This is a Paradox question, so it is made up of premises only; you need to find a new premise which best resolves the apparent discrepancy between the existing premises:

Premise A: in the past 6 years, the prices of computer accessories have dropped by a lot
 ✖
Premise C: revenues of computer stores increased during this period

Resolving Premise: ?

The number of stores in Country X is irrelevant to the paradox between lower prices and higher revenues. It can be argued that more stores indicates a greater market and therefore more items sold, but this argument would be based on too many assumptions - instead on what is stated in this answer choice.

Over the past 6 years, prices of peripheral computer equipment in

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

My Rewards

GMAT Critical Reasoning (CR) Questions

Over the past 6 years, prices of peripheral computer equipment in

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

My Rewards