By conducting surveys and monitoring the brainwave patterns of

Question

By conducting surveys and monitoring the brainwave patterns of a group of employees who work from 9 am until 5 pm daily in a variety of fields, scientists determined that after the midday break, energy levels dropped although average decreases in activity only measured at 1%. To deal with this phenomenon in an efficient way, many companies began to provide sleeping facilities for sleepy workers who could rest for short periods of time and then return to work refreshed. Although this strategy revealed that a nap of only 25 minutes did seem to be effective at restoring energy and attentiveness, since the actual decrease in measured activity is fairly minor, a number of companies now intend to do away with this technique.

Which of the following, if true, most seriously undermines the logic of the companies' current intentions?

(A) The employees whose brainwave scans indicated an activity decrease of more than 1% after midday were also those who reported that the meals they ate during their breaks sometimes consisted of a meat item.

(B) Brain activity tests of employees who had not napped but who had performed the same number of tasks as those who had, showed these employees made logical connections that were primarily involved in the creation of basic and, in many cases, nonviable solutions.

(C) Through advancements in technology, current brainwave monitors have the potential to measure frequency differences that are very small whereas in the past only major changes in activity were detectable by researchers.

(D) Brainwaves measured before an hour of sleep has been completed are far more similar to those emitted while in an awakened state than to those emitted during sleep associated with significant rest.

(E) Employees who are presented with the option of sleeping at their places of employment are likely to take less heed in being responsible for the amount of sleep they get before arriving to perform a day's work.

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Minka99 · Answer

I would go for  B  here, although this one took me much longer to solve than most under this thread. So despite the sleeping facilities being described as effective for employees, the companies want to get rid of this idea. Our job is to weaken the companies' argument and thus, prove that naps during work are beneficial.

B is the only choice that seems to do that. It states that employees who did not take naps could perform tasks in a basic way and the quality of the task was not that good "nonviable solutions"

counterclash1 · Answer

Correct Answer: B

ARGUMENT STRUCTURE:
- Fact: Midday brainwave activity decreases by a minor 1%.
- Action: Napping for 25 minutes restores attentiveness.
- Companies' Plan: Eliminate napping facilities.
- Companies' Logic: Since the 1% activity decrease is minor, napping facilities are unnecessary.

QUESTION:
Which option most seriously undermines the logic of the companies' plan?

STEP-BY-STEP OPTION BREAKDOWN:

- Option (A): Mentions meat consumption during lunch breaks.
 INCORRECT. Dietary choices do not explain whether napping facilities provide essential workplace value.

-  Option (B): Shows that employees who do not nap generate basic and nonviable solutions despite completing the same number of tasks.
 CORRECT. Proves that a minor 1% drop in task activity masks a severe breakdown in work quality, showing the companies' logic to be flawed.
 
- Option (C): Explains that modern monitors can detect very small brainwave changes.
 INCORRECT. The precision of measurement instruments does not establish whether the 1% drop impairs employee output.

- Option (D): Compares brainwaves during short sleep to awake states.
 INCORRECT. Irrelevant to whether un-napped performance degrades or whether companies should retain the facilities.

- Option (E): Suggests napping at work leads employees to sleep less at night.
 INCORRECT. This gives a reason TO ELIMINATE napping facilities, strengthening rather than undermining the companies' plan.

Conclusion: Answer Choice B.

Vivek1707 · Answer

A. It explains why some employees drop by more than 1%, but it doesn't show why removing the naps is a bad idea.
B. Yes, this is the key point: even if activity only drops 1%, employees who skipped the nap produced worse-quality work. So the 1% figure understates the real problem.
C. More accurate monitors actually support the reliability of the measurements. It doesn't show that the naps are necessary.
D. This suggests a 25-minute nap may not provide meaningful restorative sleep, which supports removing the facility.
E. If employees start relying on workplace naps and sleep less at home, that actually gives companies another reason to remove them.

Answer B

officiisnobis · Answer

Took me quite sometime but correct answer for me is B as it states quality of work was not good.

Bunuel · Answer

OFFICIAL EXPLANATION

By conducting surveys and monitoring the brainwave patterns of a group of employees who work from 9 am until 5 pm daily in a variety of fields, scientists determined that after the midday break, energy levels dropped although average decreases in activity only measured at 1%. To deal with this phenomenon in an efficient way, many companies began to provide sleeping facilities for sleepy workers who could rest for short periods of time and then return to work refreshed. Although this strategy revealed that a nap of only 25 minutes did seem to be effective at restoring energy and attentiveness, since the actual decrease in measured activity is fairly minor, a number of companies now intend to do away with this technique.

Which of the following, if true, most seriously undermines the logic of the companies' current intentions?

(A) The employees whose brainwave scans indicated an activity decrease of more than 1% after midday were also those who reported that the meals they ate during their breaks sometimes consisted of a meat item.

Incorrect.

To solve this Conclusion Weakening question, first break down the argument. Sentences 1 and 2 are premises, citing facts about events that have occurred. The last sentence relays the companies' current intentions, their conclusion:

Premise A: scientists found that employees' activity levels dropped by 1% after midday
+
Premise B: companies urged employees to rest after their breaks
+
Premise C: a nap of 25 minutes did seem to be effective in helping employees wake themselves up
=
Current Plan/Intention of the companies: to stop allowing employees to sleep after their break

Possible assumption: a 1% drop does not justify the sleeping facilities

Weakening Data: ?

You are required to find data that weakens the companies' current plan or supports their previous plan to allow employees a nap. The correct answer could be one that exposes the argument's assumption.

This answer choice neither weakens not strengthens the conclusion because the reasons for sleepiness are not discussed in the argument. Whether the energy drop is caused by meat or by exertion or by any other cause is irrelevant; the companies think a 1% is not worth the fuss.

(B) Brain activity tests of employees who had not napped but who had performed the same number of tasks as those who had, showed these employees made logical connections that were primarily involved in the creation of basic and, in many cases, nonviable solutions.

This answer choice weakens the companies' intentions by showing that even though the activity of employees that did not rest hardly dropped (1%), the quality of their activity deteriorated significantly since they could only come up with basic and often incorrect (nonviable) solutions.

(C) Through advancements in technology, current brainwave monitors have the potential to measure frequency differences that are very small whereas in the past only major changes in activity were detectable by researchers.

Incorrect.

To solve this Conclusion Weakening question, first break down the argument. Sentences 1 and 2 are premises, citing facts about events that have occurred. The last sentence relays the companies' current intentions, their conclusion:

Premise A: scientists found that employees' activity levels dropped by 1% after midday
+
Premise B: companies urged employees to rest after their breaks
+
Premise C: a nap of 25 minutes did seem to be effective in helping employees wake themselves up
=
Current Plan/Intention of the companies: to stop allowing employees to sleep after their break

Possible assumption: a 1% drop does not justify the sleeping facilities

Weakening Data: ?

You are required to find data that weakens the companies' current plan or supports their previous plan to allow employees a nap. The correct answer could be one that exposes the argument's assumption.

This answer choice neither weakens not strengthens the conclusion; it validates the premises by showing that today's brainwave monitors are more accurate than those of the past. However, this does not help us undermine the decision made based on this data.

(D) Brainwaves measured before an hour of sleep has been completed are far more similar to those emitted while in an awakened state than to those emitted during sleep associated with significant rest.

Incorrect.

This answer choice supports the intentions of the companies whereas you are required to weaken the logic of these intentions. If by sleeping less than an hour we don't enter a state of very restful sleep, then the idea that a nap of 25 minutes can be helpful to sleepy employees becomes questionable.

(E) Employees who are presented with the option of sleeping at their places of employment are likely to take less heed in being responsible for the amount of sleep they get before arriving to perform a day's work.

Incorrect.

This answer choice strengthens the logic behind the intentions of the companies while you are required to weaken this logic. If allowing employees to nap at work only makes then sleep less at home then the sleepiness problem is not solved, which means companies should not allow naps.

By conducting surveys and monitoring the brainwave patterns of

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