lionsshare wrote:Last year Comfort Airlines had twice as many delayed flights as the year before, but the number of complaints from passengers about delayed flights went up three times. It is unlikely that this disproportionate increase in complaints was rooted in an increase in overall dissatisfaction with the service Comfort Airlines provides, since the airline made a special effort to improve other aspects of its service last year.
Which of the following, if true, most helps to explain the disproportionate increase in computer complaints?
(A) Comfort Airlines had more flight last year than the year before.
(B) Last year a single period usually bad weather caused a large number of flights to be delayed.
(C) Some of the improvements that Comfort Airlines made in its service were required by new government regulations.
(D) The average length of flight delay was greater last year than it was the year before.
(E) The average number of passengers per flight was no higher last year than the year before.
By saying
"It is unlikely that this disproportionate increase in complaints was rooted in an increase in overall dissatisfaction with the service Comfort Airlines provides, since the airline made a special effort to improve other aspects of its service last year," the argument is set up to make clear that the complaints are triggered by delays.
So we are faced with an unexplained disproportion. The number of delays doubled, but the number of complaints about delays tripled.
(A) Comfort Airlines had more flights last year than the year before.
This choice is tempting because if Comfort Airlines had more flights, then likely Comfort Airlines had more customers. If the same proportion of customers were to complain while the total number of customers increased, then we would have more complaints.
So, if you were looking for a reason for a general increase in complaints, this answer choice might provide that reason.
We are not, however, looking for a reason for a general increase in complaints. The prompt has already stated as fact that the number of delayed flights doubled. It would logically follow that a doubling in delayed flights would result in a doubling in complaints, NO MATTER HOW MANY FLIGHTS IN TOTAL COMFORT AIRLINES HAD LAST YEAR. Only the delayed flights should trigger complaints about delays.
So, this choice does nothing to explain why the complaints about delays would increase more than delays did.
(B) Last year, a single period of unusually bad weather caused a large number of flights to be delayed.
This choice indicates that there was likely a concentration of delays in one time period. A test-taker might construe that concentration as being the cause of the increase in complaints per delay.
It is not, however, clear that such a concentration of delayed flights would cause people to be more likely to complain about delays. Further, one could argue that people who are aware that weather caused the delays would not complain about the delays.
So, this choice does not explain why complaints increased more than delays increased.
(C) Some of the improvements that Comfort Airlines made in its service were required by new government regulations.
While it is possible that a test-taker could interpret this answer choice to mean that Comfort Airlines only takes care of customers because of government involvement and thus has a poor customer service culture, the truth is that this answer choice does not indicate any change from one year to the next year in the attitude of Comfort Airlines toward customers, and therefore it does not explain why there would be a year to year change in the number of complaints.
Further, without additional information, it is close to impossible to reasonably argue that service improvements as a result of government regulation would result in increased complaints about delays. Service improvements should result in a decrease, rather than an increase, in complaints.
(D) The average length of flight delay was greater last year than it was the year before.
Correctly answering GMAT Critical Reasoning questions often requires using some common sense. So, let's use some here.
It makes sense that the longer a delay, the more likely it is that people will complain about that delay. So, if the number of delays doubles AND the delays are longer, then likely the number of complaints will more than double.
Therefore, this is the answer that explains the disproportionate increase in complaints. Delays doubled, but the delays triggered more than twice as many complaints because the delays were longer.
(E) The average number of passengers per flight was no higher last year than the year before.
What this choice says actually RULES OUT a possible reason for the increase in complaints. If the number of passengers per flight had increased, then that increase could explain why there were more complaints per delay. Had there been more passengers per flight, then when delays doubled, more that twice as many passengers would have experienced those delays. So, in saying that the number of passengers per flight stayed the same, this choice rules out one possible reason for the increase in complaints.
To avoid choosing a choice like this one, which is relevant to the argument but does not answer the question, you have keep clear in your mind exactly what the question is asking you to find.
Therefore, the correct answer is
D
