Critical Reasoning

Environmentalist: It takes less energy to make molten glass from recycled glass than from raw materials. Once the recycled glass or raw materials have been turned into molten glass, making bottles from recycled glass follows the same process as making bottles from raw materials. Obviously, soft drink bottlers who make a large percentage of their bottles from recycled glass have significant
energy savings. Therefore, by using recycled glass instead of glass made from raw materials, bottlers can lower their costs and benefit the environment at the same time.

Which one of the following is an assumption on which the argument relies?
(A) The process of making bottles from plastic that has been recycled is not significantly more energy efficient than is the process of making bottles from glass that has been recycled.
(B) The amount of glass that is currently recycled each year is enough to supply the major soft drink bottlers with materials for a large
percentage of the glass bottles they make that year.
(C) Most consumers are not able to distinguish bottles made from recycled glass from glass bottles made from raw materials.
(D) Purchasing and transport costs are not so much greater for recycled glass than for raw materials that they outweigh the savings in energy costs resulting from the use of recycled glass.
(E) The process of making molten glass from recycled glass requires fewer steps than does the process of making molten glass from raw materials.

I feel Main fight is between B and D.
conclusion says that by using recycled glass instead of glass made from raw materials, bottlers can lower their costs and benefit the environment at the same time. But inorder to use recycled glass instead of glass from raw material they should have enough amout of material as in B.

OA D

Mechmeera wrote:I feel Main fight is between B and D.
conclusion says that by using recycled glass instead of glass made from raw materials, bottlers can lower their costs and benefit the environment at the same time. But inorder to use recycled glass instead of glass from raw material they should have enough amout of material as in B.

Often the key to getting GMAT critical reasoning questions right is noticing the difference between an answer choice that has some validity on its own or is indirectly related to the argument and an answer choice that is directly connected to the argument.

In this question, what is said in answer choice B brings up a real issue. The ability of bottlers to take advantage of any benefits of using recycled glass is constrained by the amount of recycled glass available.

However, the conclusion to this argument really centers on the simple idea that bottlers can reduce costs and benefit the environment by using recycled glass. So, while the degree to which they can do that is related to the amount of glass available, the supply issue is only indirectly related to this argument.

What is directly connected to the argument is what is discussed in choice D. While the energy costs of producing bottles may be reduced via the use of recycled glass, there are other costs involved in using recycled glass. So in saying that using recycled glass costs less because the energy costs involved in using recycled glass are lower than those involved in using glass made from raw materials, the environmentalist is assuming that costs other than energy costs do not outweigh the energy cost savings.

So D is directly connected to the argument and is the better answer.

Mechmeera wrote:Environmentalist: It takes less energy to make molten glass from recycled glass than from raw materials. Once the recycled glass or raw materials have been turned into molten glass, making bottles from recycled glass follows the same process as making bottles from raw materials. Obviously, soft drink bottlers who make a large percentage of their bottles from recycled glass have significant
energy savings. Therefore, by using recycled glass instead of glass made from raw materials, bottlers can lower their costs and benefit the environment at the same time.

Which one of the following is an assumption on which the argument relies?
(A) The process of making bottles from plastic that has been recycled is not significantly more energy efficient than is the process of making bottles from glass that has been recycled.
(B) The amount of glass that is currently recycled each year is enough to supply the major soft drink bottlers with materials for a large
percentage of the glass bottles they make that year.
(C) Most consumers are not able to distinguish bottles made from recycled glass from glass bottles made from raw materials.
(D) Purchasing and transport costs are not so much greater for recycled glass than for raw materials that they outweigh the savings in energy costs resulting from the use of recycled glass.
(E) The process of making molten glass from recycled glass requires fewer steps than does the process of making molten glass from raw materials.

I feel Main fight is between B and D.
conclusion says that by using recycled glass instead of glass made from raw materials, bottlers can lower their costs and benefit the environment at the same time. But inorder to use recycled glass instead of glass from raw material they should have enough amout of material as in B.

OA D

Negation is helpful here. (Remember that in an assumption question, the correct answer, when negated, will destroy the argument.)

The conclusion is that companies can save money by making bottles from recycled glass.

The negation of B: The amount of glass that is currently recycled each year is NOT enough to supply the major soft drink bottlers with materials for a large percentage of the glass bottles they make that year.

Doesn't really matter. Even if they're using recycled glass for a small percentage of their glass bottles, they can still save some money if making bottles from recycled glass is cheaper.


The negation of D: Purchasing and transport costs ARE so much greater for recycled glass than for raw materials that they outweigh the savings in energy costs resulting from the use of recycled glass.

If the total cost of using recycled glass outweighs the total savings, clearly they're no longer saving money by using recycled glass. This destroys the conclusion, so D is the answer.