Bennsoft (trial question)

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The argument above relies on which of the following assumptions?

A
1
8%
B
2
15%
C
1
8%
D
2
15%
E
7
54%
 
Total votes: 13

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Bennsoft (trial question)

by kevincanspain » Tue Feb 12, 2013 9:32 am
Records indicate that every newly-hired Bennsoft employee is either a university graduate or is the son or daughter of a Bennsoft executive. Fatima, who has just been selected to revamp Bennsoft's software testing procedures, must be a university graduate, since her father has always been a carpenter, and no carpenter has ever served as a Bennsoft executive.

The argument above relies on which of the following assumptions?

A. Anyone selected to make changes to the way  Bennsoft software is tested must have gone to university.
B. No carpenters have the skills and experience needed to fill a Bennsoft executive position.
C. Fatima would never apply for a job in a company in which a relative works.
D. Bennsoft does not rely on other companies to test its software.
E. Fatima's mother either works for a company other than Bennsoft or is self-employed.

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by charu_mahajan » Wed Feb 13, 2013 9:27 am
Kevin, this looks like a hard one.

It has to be between D and E. Rest are out of scope.
But a closer look and I'm quite certain it's E.
D can be an assumption but if we have a look at the conclusion - "Fatima must be a university graduate", negating D might not make it fall apart. But negating E certainly does. Well, this is just my analysis, and I'll surely wait for OA and OE.

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by kunalkulkarni » Thu Feb 14, 2013 10:15 am
IMO the answer should be E
New Hire = (University Grad) or (Son/Daughter of Employee)
Fatima should fit into either of above options.
If she were to be an University Grad, other option must be false. i.e; Her Father or Mother should not be working for Bennsoft. Since the passage mentions about her father, only assumption that could be inferred is about her mother not being a Bensoft employee.
I think option E is the only one that fits the bill!

Cheers,
Kunal
Last edited by kunalkulkarni on Thu Feb 14, 2013 12:44 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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by kevincanspain » Thu Feb 14, 2013 11:49 am
Not every employee is an executive, nor does every mother work.
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by kevincanspain » Mon Feb 18, 2013 8:01 am
This argument assumes that Fatima's mother is not an Bennsoft executive and that Fatima is a newly-hired Bennsoft employee
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