Although the pesticide TDX has been widely used by fruit

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Although the pesticide TDX has been widely used by fruit growers since the early 1960's, a regulation in force since 1960 has prohibited sale of fruit on which any TDX residue can be detected. That regulation is about to be replaced by one that allows sale of fruit on which trace amounts of TDX residue are detected. In fact, however, the change will not allow more TDX on fruit than was allowed in the 1960's, because ______.

A. pre-1970 techniques for detecting TDX residue could detect it only when it was present on fruit in more than the trace amounts allowed by the new regulations

B. many more people today than in the 1960's habitually purchase and eat fruit without making an effort to clean residues off the fruit

C. people today do not individually consume any more pieces of fruit, on average, than did the people in the 1960's

D. at least a small fraction of the fruit sold each year since the early 1960's has had on it greater levels of TDX than the regulation allows

E. the presence of TDX on fruit in greater than trace amounts has not been shown to cause any harm even to children who eat large amounts of fruit


OA : A

P.S: @ Verbal Experts - could you please share your DETAILED ANALYSIS for this CR ? What sort of question it is - Assumption or Strengthen ? (and how to understand such CR qs?)

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by MartyMurray » Tue Sep 29, 2015 9:23 pm
These complete the sentence questions are correctly answered with a choice that somehow logically follows from the argument preceding the blank or that somehow completes the argument.

Often the correct choice almost repeats or summarizes what was said before the blank, and the correct choice will always be clearly connected to what is going on in the argument.

In the case of this question, the correct answer will explain a paradoxical situation involving no increase in allowed amounts of of TDX on fruit under a new regulation that seems to allow more TDX than was allowed in the past. So basically this is an explain the paradox question.

A) This choice explains the paradox. While the new regulation allows trace amounts, in the 1960's the techniques used would not detect amounts equal to those allowed by the new regulation, and so fruit upon which no TDX was detected in the 1960's could actually have had on it as much TDX residue as the new regulation allows.

B) This may mean that any regulation is not going to solve the entire problem of TDX residue on fruit, but it does not really fit the argument or explain the paradox.

C) While the amount of fruit consumed may affect the amount of TDX consumed, the argument is about TDX residues rather than TDX consumption. So this answer choice is not well connected to the argument at hand.

D) This is a trap answer. It may seem to somehow explain the paradox, but notice, the argument is not about fruit that slips through the system even though it has on it more TDX residue than is allowed. The argument is about how much TDX residue is allowed.

E) This answer choice may support making the change in the regulation, but it does not explain the paradox of a relaxed regulation effectively allowing less residue than in the past was allowed by the more strict regulation.

So the correct answer is A.
Last edited by MartyMurray on Sat Oct 03, 2015 6:12 am, edited 1 time in total.
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by RBBmba@2014 » Wed Sep 30, 2015 9:33 am
Marty - I understand why you call it a PARADOX CR. But isn't the OA STRENGTHEN the conclusion in the argument ? (So,in that way we may call it a STRENGTHEN CR as well...Thoughts ?)

Btw, will it be possible for you to simplify your above EXPLANATION on the OA a LITTLE BIT ?

I think, bottom line is that Pre-1970 techniques ACTUALLY allowed/detected TDX in an amount more than the trace amounts that is allowed currently! So, the current increase in TDX by trace amounts will have NO EFFECT on the allowed TDX level on the fruits as far as prohibiting the sale is concerned. Correct me please if wrong!

As for Option D, I think, it also narrows the SCOPE of the argument because the argument talks about the overall FRUIT in GENERAL, whereas D refers to a small fraction of the FRUIT. We can't conclude on the BIGGER SET,depending on the effect on the reasonably SMALLER set.. Right ?

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by MartyMurray » Wed Sep 30, 2015 11:48 am
RBBmba@2014 wrote:Marty - I understand why you call it a PARADOX CR. But isn't the OA STRENGTHEN the conclusion in the argument ? (So,in that way we may call it a STRENGTHEN CR as well...Thoughts ?)
I don't think that there is actually an argument with a conclusion to strengthen. There is only a statement that is backed up by nothing. So it's tough to call this a strengthen question, as far as I can tell anyway.

Beyond that, I find that being concerned about what kind of question it is puts an unnecessary layer of thinking into the mix. What really matters is finding an answer choice that fits the situation and is clearly connected to what is being said. You can't go wrong doing that, and if you focus on doing that you don't have to be concerned about what type of question it is.
Btw, will it be possible for you to simplify your above EXPLANATION on the OA a LITTLE BIT ?

I think, bottom line is that Pre-1970 techniques ACTUALLY allowed/detected TDX in an amount more than the trace amounts that is allowed currently! So, the current increase in TDX by trace amounts will have NO EFFECT on the allowed TDX level on the fruits as far as prohibiting the sale is concerned. Correct me please if wrong!
Basically, you nailed it, although in the short term the amount allowed will go up. To be clear the amounts being compared are the amount that was present in the 1960's and the amount that will be allowed after the new regulation goes into effect. That latter amount is greater than what is currently being allowed because the equipment being used currently is more accurate than the equipment used in the 1960's.
As for Option D, I think, it also narrows the SCOPE of the argument because the argument talks about the overall FRUIT in GENERAL, whereas D refers to a small fraction of the FRUIT. We can't conclude on the BIGGER SET,depending on the effect on the reasonably SMALLER set.. Right ?
Yes, that is another aspect of the issue with option D, and what you described is typical of the type of things that often characterize GMAT trap answers. Good catch.
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by RBBmba@2014 » Thu Oct 01, 2015 3:53 am
Marty - All good, EXCEPT your below explanations...
Marty Murray wrote:...although in the short term the amount allowed will go up.
How ? Not able to get this...
Marty Murray wrote:To be clear the amounts being compared are the amount that was present in the 1960's and the amount that will be allowed after the new regulation goes into effect.That latter amount is greater than what is currently being allowed because the equipment being used currently is more accurate than the equipment used in the 1960's.
Not able to understand the portion in RED...What's role EXACTLY it (re RED part) has in determining the OA ? And how does it fit ALL into this CR ?

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by MartyMurray » Thu Oct 01, 2015 5:00 am
RBBmba@2014 wrote:Marty - All good, EXCEPT your below explanations...
Marty Murray wrote:...although in the short term the amount allowed will go up.
How ? Not able to get this...
Marty Murray wrote:To be clear the amounts being compared are the amount that was present in the 1960's and the amount that will be allowed after the new regulation goes into effect.That latter amount is greater than what is currently being allowed because the equipment being used currently is more accurate than the equipment used in the 1960's.
Not able to understand the portion in RED...What's role EXACTLY it (re RED part) has in determining the OA ? And how does it fit ALL into this CR ?
The seeming paradox of his CR is that, while a regulation will be relaxed, the actual allowed amount of TDX will go down. The thing is that the comparison being made is not between the amount of TDX allowed just before the regulation change and that allowed after the regulation change. The comparison being made is between the amount effectively allowed after the regulation change and the amount effectively allowed in the 1960's.

Over time the techniques used to detect TDX have become more accurate, and that change in accuracy explains the seeming paradox.

The reason that the situation seems paradoxical is that common sense tells us that relaxing of a regulation should increase the amount of TDX allowed, and actually it is the case the case that the amount of TDX allowed increases.

Immediately before the regulation is relaxed, the new techniques are being used and those techniques detect amounts smaller than those detected by techniques used in the 1960's. So, after the regulation is changed, the amounts effectively allowed will be smaller than those effectively allowed in the 1960's but greater than those effectively allowed immediately prior to the change.

While I guess that one could get the OA without noticing that the amounts being compared are not that effectively allowed immediately prior to and that effectively allowed after the change in regulation, but rather that effectively allowed in the 1960's and that effectively allowed after the change in the regulation, that distinction is at the basis of what is going on in this question.
Last edited by MartyMurray on Sat Oct 03, 2015 6:06 am, edited 1 time in total.
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by RBBmba@2014 » Fri Oct 02, 2015 7:17 am
Marty - appreciate your effort in trying to help me understand this BUT I don't think, I got your last post - in fact, I'm sort of lost on it...

However, do we really NEED (to comprehend) this (re your last post) to answer this type of CR ? Isn't my following understanding sufficient enough to crack this Qs ?
RBBmba@2014 wrote:I think, bottom line is that Pre-1970 techniques ACTUALLY allowed/detected TDX in an amount more than the trace amounts that is allowed currently! So, the current increase in TDX by trace amounts will most likely have NO EFFECT (or least prominent EFFECT) on the allowed TDX level on the fruits at present as far as prohibiting the sale of FRUITS is concerned and FRUITS will, in general, pass through for sale...

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by MartyMurray » Fri Oct 02, 2015 11:10 am
RBBmba@2014 wrote:However, do we really NEED (to comprehend) this (re your last post) to answer this type of CR ? Isn't my following understanding sufficient enough to crack this Qs ?

I think, bottom line is that Pre-1970 techniques ACTUALLY allowed/detected TDX in an amount more than the trace amounts that is allowed currently! So, the current increase in TDX by trace amounts will most likely have NO EFFECT (or least prominent EFFECT) on the allowed TDX level on the fruits at present as far as prohibiting the sale of FRUITS is concerned and FRUITS will, in general, pass through for sale...
Y'know, what you are saying makes sense. Nothing is really said about the equipment or techniques that are in use today. My take is that they are more accurate, but there is no reason to run with that idea.

In any case, yes, what you said above is sufficient, although I would tighten it up a bit.

For instance, most likely and prominent are not necessary. Combined the prompt and the correct answer choice clearly indicate that the amounts effectively allowed under the new regulation will definitely not be greater than those effectively allowed in the 1960's.

Further, nothing in the prompt or correct answer choice confirms that fruit will "pass through for sale". So while it is reasonable to believe that to be the case, just for the sake of being careful, let's not say that. Whether fruit will "pass through for sale" is not the point here anyway, and there is no reason to extend the story that way.

While these particular little details may not be significant here, in general seeing the exact details and not extending beyond what is confirmed by information provided is key to getting CR questions right.
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