Cement is really cement

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NSNguyen: Master | Next Rank: 500 Posts; Posts: 401; Joined: Fri May 04, 2007 9:21 amFollowed by: 1 member; Thanked: 3 times

by NSNguyen » Thu Sep 11, 2008 8:34 am

The basic ingredients from which cement is made are both cheap and plentiful. Materials as common as limestone and clay will do. Nevertheless, the price of cement is influenced by the price of oil, because turning the basic ingredients into cement in high-temperature kilns uses large amounts of energy.
Which one of the following can be logically inferred from the passage?
(A) Oil is one of the basic ingredients that make up cement.
(B) Oil is a source of energy for some of the kilns used in the making of cement.
(C) The higher the price of cement rises, the higher the price of clay rises.
(D) Whenever oil prices rise, cement prices drop.
(E) A given amount of cement costs no more than the total cost of its basic ingredients.

Please share your idea and your reasoning

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Source: Beat The GMAT — Critical Reasoning | Thu Sep 11, 2008 8:34 am

banker1: Master | Next Rank: 500 Posts; Posts: 138; Joined: Tue Aug 26, 2008 8:23 am; Location: New York, NY; Thanked: 2 times

by banker1 » Thu Sep 11, 2008 12:00 pm

IMO: D

Cement prices are influenced by oil. Cement prices increase/ decrease as oil prices increase/ decrease.

(A) is wrong. The basic ingredients can be a simple as clay and limestone

(B) is true but not a logical inference.

(C) the link is between oil and cement. Cement prices are dependent on the prices of the ingredients not the other way around...

(D) is the best answer IMO. It conveys the logical connection between oil and cement

(E) is wrong. From the passage: the price of cement is influenced by the price of oil

What is the OA?

CappyAA: Master | Next Rank: 500 Posts; Posts: 124; Joined: Mon Jun 16, 2008 11:07 amFollowed by: 14 members; Thanked: 21 times; GMAT Score:750

by CappyAA » Thu Sep 11, 2008 12:52 pm

I don't see how you can infer D at all. The stimulus basically says that the price of cement is not determined by the ingredients as they are cheap and plentiful. The price is driven by oil, as there's a large amount of energy that's required. It can be logically inferred that oil is a source of this energy. Whenever oil prices go up, the price of cement will go up as it costs more for the energy source. D is a reverse answer.

B is the correct answer IMO

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sethids: Master | Next Rank: 500 Posts; Posts: 135; Joined: Mon Jun 23, 2008 3:56 am; Thanked: 7 times

by sethids » Thu Sep 11, 2008 12:57 pm

I believe B should be the answer.

(D) is the best answer IMO. It conveys the logical connection between oil and cement

This does mention a connection but is incorrect.
The question suggests that the prices of cement and oil are directly proportional. i.e. if one rises, the other also rises.
This relationship is evident in the text "the price of cement is influenced by the price of oil, because turning the basic ingredients into cement in high-temperature kilns uses large amounts of energy".
Here, oil is that source of energy. To produce cement, if you need large amount of energy and if that energy comes from oil, you need large amount of oil.
How can the price of cement drop if the price of oil increases? i.e. the cost of production increases

banker1: Master | Next Rank: 500 Posts; Posts: 138; Joined: Tue Aug 26, 2008 8:23 am; Location: New York, NY; Thanked: 2 times

by banker1 » Thu Sep 11, 2008 1:02 pm

CappyAA wrote:I don't see how you can infer D at all. The stimulus basically says that the price of cement is not determined by the ingredients as they are cheap and plentiful. The price is driven by oil, as there's a large amount of energy that's required. It can be logically inferred that oil is a source of this energy. Whenever oil prices go up, the price of cement will go up as it costs more for the energy source. D is a reverse answer.

B is the correct answer IMO

That's what happens when you read the answer too fast! I read as oil prices increase, cement prices increase.

Doh! Hope I don't do that on test day.

Having reread the answers (slower this time) I agree B is the best answer. D goes against the logical flow of the passage.

nicolette: Master | Next Rank: 500 Posts; Posts: 197; Joined: Tue Apr 22, 2014 4:03 am

by nicolette » Fri May 13, 2016 1:11 am

I would go with option D as the correct option

mkrishnabdr: Newbie | Next Rank: 10 Posts; Posts: 1; Joined: Mon Apr 07, 2014 2:21 am

by mkrishnabdr » Thu Jun 02, 2016 5:06 pm

IMO: B

The premises support that the OIL is a source of energy rather than a basic ingredient. And the modifier SOME perfectly matches the "high temperature kilns" without any reference to the quantity indicators.

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