Critical Reasoning

Analyst: The pace of technological development brings a constant stream of new devices to the market, and many of them enjoy commercial success. But announcing new technology too soon after the introduction of a successful device can backfire. Once consumers hear about the new device, they may stop buying the one currently on sale. So, if a company wishes to announce the upcoming sale of a new device, it should wait until purchases of the old device have begun to decline.

Which of the following, if true, would best support the analyst's main assertion?

A] New technology often becomes less expensive after an initial surge in sales.

B] Media outlets, such as television programs and magazines, often report on the planned introduction of new devices while the sales of old devices are still strong.

C] Many consumers are unable to determine whether new technology is superior to current technology.

D] Surveys have shown that some consumers make only one or two technology purchases per year, whereas others make more frequent purchases.

E] Consumers tend to be loyal to technology companies whose products they enjoy using.



The correct answer is B.


I marked the answer as C. I do not know why I still feel that the correct answer is C. If the consumers are unaware to differentiate between the old technology and the new technology, then they might go for the old technology or they might go for the new technology. But the premise in the stimulus clearly states that the consumer will go for the new technology. Hence C also strengthens the argument. According to me the C also a good choice.

Please solve my query...

[email protected] wrote:Analyst: The pace of technological development brings a constant stream of new devices to the market, and many of them enjoy commercial success. But announcing new technology too soon after the introduction of a successful device can backfire. Once consumers hear about the new device, they may stop buying the one currently on sale. So, if a company wishes to announce the upcoming sale of a new device, it should wait until purchases of the old device have begun to decline.

Which of the following, if true, would best support the analyst's main assertion?

C] Many consumers are unable to determine whether new technology is superior to current technology.

I marked the answer as C. I do not know why I still feel that the correct answer is C. If the consumers are unaware to differentiate between the old technology and the new technology, then they might go for the old technology or they might go for the new technology. But the premise in the stimulus clearly states that the consumer will go for the new technology. Hence C also strengthens the argument. According to me the C also a good choice. Please solve my query...

We have to pick up a choice that STRENGTHEN the conclusion (under all circumstances - there should be an iota of doubt)

In C - consumers are unable to determine whether NEW is better than OLD, then two scenario can happen:
a) consumer MAY WAIT TO purchase NEW PRODUCT, or
b) consumer MAY purchase EXISTING (OLD) PRODUCT

If (a) is TRUE, THEN argument is WEAKENED, but if (b) is TRUE, THEN argument is STRENGTHENED.

Therefore, C can go either way. Drop it

Ah, the Android approach, where your smartphone is obsolete before you've opened the box.

I think patanjali is correct about why C doesn't quite work. If consumers can't differentiate between the new and old technology, then it is entirely possible that they will decide that the current offering is "good enough" and continue to purchase it.

whats wrong with A

@nh_cryptic: the question is about the sales and not about the costs..

nh_cryptic wrote:whats wrong with A

The argument is entirely about sales of the old and new devices. We have no information about how changes in pricing would affect sales, so we can rule out A for being out of the scope of the argument.