CR- red label supermarkets, Lark Manufacturing Company , tel

[santhosh.kadiyala]

To entice customers away from competitors, Red Label supermarkets have begun offering discounts on home appliances to customers who spend $50 or more on any shopping trip to Red Label. Red Label executives claim that the discount program has been a huge success, since cash register receipts of $50 or more are up thirty percent since the beginning of the program.
Which of the following, if true, most seriously weakens the claim of the Red Label executives?
(A) Most people who switched to Red Label after the program began spend more than $50 each time they shop at Red Label.
(B) Most people whose average grocery bill is less than $50 would not be persuaded to spend more by any discount program.
(C) Most people who received discounts on home appliances through Red Label’s program will shop at Red Label after the program ends.
(D) Since the beginning of the discount program, most of the people who spend $50 or more at Red Label are people who have never before shopped there and whose average grocery bill has always been higher than $50.
(E) Almost all of the people who have begun spending $50 or more at Red Label since the discount program began are longtime customers who have increased the average amount of their shopping bills by making fewer trips.


Lark Manufacturing Company initiated a voluntary Quality Circles program for machine operators. Independent surveys of employee attitudes indicated that the machine operators participating in the program were less satisfied with their work situations after two years of the program’s existence than they were at the program’s start. Obviously, any workers who participate in a Quality Circles program will, as a result, become less satisfied with their jobs.
Each of the following, if true, would weaken the conclusion drawn above EXCEPT:
(A) The second survey occurred during a period of recession when rumors of cutbacks and layoffs at Lark Manufacturing were plentiful.
(B) The surveys also showed that those Lark machine operators who neither participated in Quality Circles nor knew anyone who did so reported the same degree of lessened satisfaction with their work situations as did the Lark machine operators who participated in Quality Circles.
(C) While participating in Quality Circles at Lark Manufacturing, machine operators exhibited two of the primary indicators of improved job satisfaction: increased productivity and decreased absenteeism.
(D) Several workers at Lark Manufacturing who had participated in Quality Circles while employed at other companies reported that, while participating in Quality Circles in their previous companies, their work satisfaction had increased.
(E) The machine operators who participated in Quality Circles reported that, when the program started, they felt that participation might improve their work situations

Reviewing historical data, medical researchers in California found that counties with the largest number of television sets per capita have had the lowest incidence of a serious brain disease, mosquito-borne encephalitis. The researchers have concluded that people in these counties stay indoors more and thus avoid exposure to the disease.
The researchers’ conclusion would be most strengthened if which of the following were true?
(A) Programs designed to control the size of disease-bearing mosquito populations have not affected the incidence of mosquito borne encephalitis.
(B) The occupations of county residents affect their risk of exposure to mosquito-borne encephalitis more than does television-watching.
(C) The incidence of mosquito-borne encephalitis in counties with the largest number of television sets per capita is likely to decrease even further.
(D) The more time people in a county spend outdoors, the greater their awareness of the dangers of mosquito-borne encephalitis.
(E) The more television sets there are per capita in a county, the more time the average county resident spends watching television.


OA: E , E , E

i marked B, C, D

can ani one plz explain ???

[george.kourdin]

general takeaway for all of these...try to boil down/simplify the argument. identify the premise(s) and the conclusion. once you are comfortable you can begin to attempt to pin down assumptions that the author is making. perhaps before reading the actual answer choices, try to think of an answer on your own. it may or may not appear among the answers choices given by the GMAT, however, it will help cement the understanding of the argument and will keep you on track as you navigate through the answer choices, which at times, can be overwhelming/lead you astray.

To entice customers away from competitors, Red Label supermarkets have begun offering discounts on home appliances to customers who spend $50 or more on any shopping trip to Red Label. Red Label executives claim that the discount program has been a huge success, since cash register receipts of $50 or more are up thirty percent since the beginning of the program.
Which of the following, if true, most seriously weakens the claim of the Red Label executives?

(A) Most people who switched to Red Label after the program began spend more than $50 each time they shop at Red Label.

conclusion of the argument links the program with spending. the argument is basically stating that due to the program the spending went up (loosely referring to % increase in $50 receipts as spending). if spending increased after the program began then this strengthens the conclusion.

(B) Most people whose average grocery bill is less than $50
would not be persuaded to spend more by any discount program.

argument is concerned with people that spend more than 50. out of scope.

(C) Most people who received discounts on home appliances through Red Label’s program will shop at Red Label after the program ends.
i suppose this can be constituted as mild strengthen, but with that said, its irrelevant and out of scope. the argument is about increase in spending within a particular category ($50 receipts), not whether customers will continue shopping at the store.

(D) Since the beginning of the discount program, most of the people who spend $50 or more at Red Label are people who have never before shopped there and whose average grocery bill has always been higher than $50.
this shows that the program is successful. clearly strengthen.

(E) Almost all of the people who have begun spending $50 or more at Red Label since the discount program began are longtime customers who have increased the average amount of their shopping bills by making fewer trips.

this is basically saying that all the people that are now spending 50 or more are long time customers that are now taking fewer trips to the store in order to spend more at a time and take adv. of the discount. if john and jane go to the store 4 times a month and spend $25 each time, they are now going 2 times a month and spend $50 each time. this clearly weakens the argument. they are basically taking advantage of the program and are trying to game the store. the % increase that the store saw in $50> receipts is just a rehash of other receipts...they are making the same amount overall.

.

Lark Manufacturing Company initiated a voluntary Quality Circles program for machine operators. Independent surveys of employee attitudes indicated that the machine operators participating in the program were less satisfied with their work situations after two years of the program’s existence than they were at the program’s start. Obviously, any workers who participate in a Quality Circles program will, as a result, become less satisfied with their jobs.
Each of the following, if true, would weaken the conclusion drawn above EXCEPT:

okay we need to find an answer that DOES NOT weaken the conclusion that says that this quality program sucks and the workers are pissed. in other words an answer that either does nothing to the conclusion or strengthens it. the opposite of weaken is not weaken.

(A) The second survey occurred during a period of recession when rumors of cutbacks and layoffs at Lark Manufacturing were plentiful.

this is saying that the survey happened at a time when other things (recession/cutbacks) were happening. these other things are a valid reason that could have pissed off the workers. in other words, this is another reason why the workers are dissatisfied and their dissatisfaction is not entirely dependent on the program thus weaken

(B) The surveys also showed that those Lark machine operators who neither participated in Quality Circles nor knew anyone who did so reported the same degree of lessened satisfaction with their work situations as did the Lark machine operators who participated in Quality Circles.

people that did not participate in the survey were also unhappy. thus again, survey is not the sole reason for unhappiness. there are other causes. weaken.

(C) While participating in Quality Circles at Lark Manufacturing, machine operators exhibited two of the primary indicators of improved job satisfaction: increased productivity and decreased absenteeism.

these are positive things. the argument says that the program led to negative thins/dissatisfaction. weaken.


(D) Several workers at Lark Manufacturing who had participated in Quality Circles while employed at other companies reported that, while participating in Quality Circles in their previous companies, their work satisfaction had increased.

these are positive things. the argument says that the program led to negative thins/dissatisfaction. weaken.



(E) The machine operators who participated in Quality Circles reported that, when the program started, they felt that participation might improve their work situations

how workers may have felt when the program started seems like a bleh statement. first the argument deals with worker's attitude after the completion of the program, not at the start. next, this seems like a week conviction (might improve). this does not necessarily strengthen the argument but it does not weaken it to the same extent as do the other 4 choices.



Reviewing historical data, medical researchers in California found that counties with the largest number of television sets per capita have had the lowest incidence of a serious brain disease, mosquito-borne encephalitis. The researchers have concluded that people in these counties stay indoors more and thus avoid exposure to the disease.
The researchers’ conclusion would be most strengthened if which of the following were true?
(A) Programs designed to control the size of disease-bearing mosquito populations have not affected the incidence of mosquito borne encephalitis.
contender. this takes out another possible cause that would lead to the desired outcome.

(B) The occupations of county residents affect their risk of exposure to mosquito-borne encephalitis more than does television-watching.

weaken.

(C) The incidence of mosquito-borne encephalitis in counties with the largest number of television sets per capita is likely to decrease even further.
thats great and all but how likely it is to decrease is somewhat irrelevant. the argument is not concerned with trends. it is concerned with current cause and effect.

(D) The more time people in a county spend outdoors, the greater their awareness of the dangers of mosquito-borne encephalitis.
weaken shows an alternate cause exists

(E) The more television sets there are per capita in a county, the more time the average county resident spends watching television.

this is the assumption that is unstated in the passage. it solidifies the link between the premise and the conclusion and thus, supports and strengthens the argument. if we were to attempt to prehprase the answer - its likely that we could have cooked up something similar.


OA: E , E , E

i marked B, C, D

can ani one plz explain ???

[jnelson0612]

What is the original source of these questions?

[raghuram.konduri]

Question 2

Answer choice should either indicate that the quality circles program at lark is actually demotivating the workers or do nothing to the conclusion

why not D? please help!
Option D says that the workers were satisfied with this program in their previous companies. Now they are not liking the program here. so can we not conclude that the program in Lark is not helping them?

[jnelson0612]

Again, we need the original source of these questions. They will have to be deleted if the source cannot be provided.