CR from mgmat 2 -- just the paragraph

[ayushbiy]

Hi Staff,

Please read through this CR para.

For each of the past two years, major department stores have reported a nearly 50% increase in their sales of men's clothing manufactured by Zachary, Inc., a result that is all the more surprising because the sales of most other brands of men's clothing have been depressed over the same period. Nevertheless, even Zachary, Inc. does not appear to have emerged unscathed from the overall trend: despite the aforementioned increase, Zachary, Inc. has reported a slight decline in overall sales in each of the past two years.

Which of the following, if true, most helps to explain the surprising result above?


-- Lets forget the answer and the choices..

what do you think is surprising ?

[tim]

First, our rules require you to post the complete question and answer choices before we discuss problems.

Second, you are going to get FAR less out of this problem by asking someone else to find the surprising result than you will by accepting that the test writers intended for you to find something surprising and then to figure out on your own what it is, EVEN IF you personally didn't see anything surprising.

[ayushbiy]

For each of the past two years, major department stores have reported a nearly 50% increase in their sales of men's clothing manufactured by Zachary, Inc., a result that is all the more surprising because the sales of most other brands of men's clothing have been depressed over the same period. Nevertheless, even Zachary, Inc. does not appear to have emerged unscathed from the overall trend:

-- Before "a result that is all the more" we see "For each of the past two years, major department stores have reported a nearly 50% increase in their sales of men's clothing manufactured by Zachary, Inc" - I infer therefore that a result is modifying "For each of the past two years, major department stores have reported a nearly 50% increase in their sales of men's clothing manufactured by Zachary, Inc".

so nearly 50% increase is a surprise. But after I was marked wrong by the mgmat engine, the explanation writes that "sales going down is a surprise"..this difference in understanding the surprise is the problem. what do u think ? and what do u think is the error in my understanding as to what is the surprise ?

[jlucero]

You are correct to say that the 50% increase in Zachary, Inc. is the surprise. But for anything to be a surprise, it has to be placed in a larger context. In this case, this increase in the clothing line is surprising because (1) other clothes haven't been selling and (2) overall sales have gone down. How can a company have an increase in sales in department stores while overall sales go down? That's what we are trying to explain.

Also, as Tim mentioned, please post the full question w/ answers so that others can also benefit from this explanation. Thanks!