Question Relevance:Kaplan Verbal

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Question Relevance:Kaplan Verbal

by magizhan » Tue Apr 20, 2010 11:12 am
The study of foreign languages is finally
becoming a serious endeavor in U.S. education.
The number of American college students
enrolled in non-English language courses has
increased by 20 percent over the last five years.
Spanish, with over 500,000 students, is the
most popular; its enrollment has increased by
30 percent. Meanwhile, enrollment in Japanese
and Russian has nearly doubled, and now
comprises eight percent of total foreign language
study. Clearly there is now an increased interest
in foreign language study. When these students
join the work force, they will enhance not only
U.S. businesses' ability to compete internationally
but also our country's reputation abroad.
The answer to which of the following questions
would be LEAST relevant to evaluating the above
claims?

(A)Do students enrolled in foreign language
classes continue their studies long enough
to attain competence in those languages?

(B)By what percentage has overall enrollment
in U.S. colleges and universities increased
over the past five years?

(C)Does a significant number of students of
foreign languages go into professions in
which the ability to speak other languages
is useful?

(D)Has the study of "dead" languages like
Latin and Ancient Greek increased at a
similar rate to that of modern languages?

(E)How does the percentage increase in
foreign language enrollment over the past
five years compare to previous increases
in enrollment?
Source: — Critical Reasoning |

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by reply2spg » Tue Apr 20, 2010 5:31 pm
Is it B?
magizhan wrote:The study of foreign languages is finally
becoming a serious endeavor in U.S. education.
The number of American college students
enrolled in non-English language courses has
increased by 20 percent over the last five years.
Spanish, with over 500,000 students, is the
most popular; its enrollment has increased by
30 percent. Meanwhile, enrollment in Japanese
and Russian has nearly doubled, and now
comprises eight percent of total foreign language
study. Clearly there is now an increased interest
in foreign language study. When these students
join the work force, they will enhance not only
U.S. businesses' ability to compete internationally
but also our country's reputation abroad.
The answer to which of the following questions
would be LEAST relevant to evaluating the above
claims?

(A)Do students enrolled in foreign language
classes continue their studies long enough
to attain competence in those languages?

(B)By what percentage has overall enrollment
in U.S. colleges and universities increased
over the past five years?

(C)Does a significant number of students of
foreign languages go into professions in
which the ability to speak other languages
is useful?

(D)Has the study of "dead" languages like
Latin and Ancient Greek increased at a
similar rate to that of modern languages?

(E)How does the percentage increase in
foreign language enrollment over the past
five years compare to previous increases
in enrollment?

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by magizhan » Tue Apr 20, 2010 6:40 pm
Even I thought so. But OA is D

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by Testluv » Tue Apr 20, 2010 7:20 pm
The correct answer is something that is irrelevant while all four wrong answers are relevant.

Choice B brings up overall enrollment. This is relevant becaue if overall enrollment has increased, then it suggests that overall interest in learning foreign languages hasn't really increased. Instead, enrollment in all types of courses (inlcuding foreign languages) would naturally have increased.

The argument is about there being an increased interest in learning foreign languages, not dead languages (foreign or otherwise). Thus, choice D is irrelevant, and is the correct answer.
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by magizhan » Tue Apr 20, 2010 7:49 pm
Aren't the dead languages too included as a part of foreign languages?

The stimulus says

When these students join the work force, they will enhance

1.not only U.S. businesses’ ability to compete internationally

2.but also our country’s reputation abroad.

How do we conclude that the dead languages wouldn't enhance the reputation abroad?

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by Testluv » Tue Apr 20, 2010 8:53 pm
Aren't the dead languages too included as a part of foreign languages?
Perhaps.

But foreign languages are also included as a part of "modern languages" (the language of choice D also mentions "modern languages").

Because modern languages include foreign languages, the author's argument doesn't rely on whether or not people are studying dead languages (whether or not dead languages are a part of foreign languages). In other words, so long as some of the modern languages people are now more interested in studying include foreign ones, then the author's reasoning does not depend on whether they are more interested in learning dead languages as well.

If you wanted to count dead languages as a part of foreign languages, you could have also viewed "dead language" as "some particular subset of foreign language" or even "a particular foreign language". Does the author's reasoning depend on people being more interested in studying a foreign language of a particular type? Of course not. The argument is just as sound if the popular foreign language is Spanish or French.

This answer choice represents a common trap in CR: irrelevant comparison. Of course, because this is an EXCEPT (or LEAST) question, here it is correct.
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by magizhan » Tue Apr 20, 2010 9:14 pm
Thanks testluv. But How do we conclude that the dead languages wouldn't enhance the reputation abroad?

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by Testluv » Tue Apr 20, 2010 9:25 pm
magizhan wrote:Thanks testluv. But How do we conclude that the dead languages wouldn't enhance the reputation abroad?
We don't draw that conclusion because we don't have to! They may or may not. So long as some of the foreign languages that people are now studying more would perform the same function (enhancing the reputation abroad), it doesn't matter whether or not the dead ones also do. That's why choice D is irrelevant, and, therefore, correct.
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