Critical Reasoning

Because tires have become longer lasting and cheaper, tire retailers are being forced to find new sources of revenue. Some stores are selling more services, such as tire rotations and oil changes, and others are selling a broader range of products, such as seat covers, air fresheners, and other amenities. Neither strategy will work, however, because people who are shopping for tires don't buy anything other than tires.

Which of the following, if true, would most seriously weaken the conclusion about the strategies that tire retailers are using?

A. Many consumers purchase inexpensive services and products wherever they can be purchased most conveniently.
B. Because tires are sold at a high margin, no other services or products can ever replace the revenue made from tires.
C. Tire retailers have thrived even though tires have steadily become more durable and less expensive for the past 50 years.
D. Consumers often buy only two tires at a time, as tires wear out at different rates depending upon which wheel they're on.
E. Consumers who have a positive experience with a retailer tend to return to that retailer for other services and products.

rakeshd347 wrote:Because tires have become longer lasting and cheaper, tire retailers are being forced to find new sources of revenue. Some stores are selling more services, such as tire rotations and oil changes, and others are selling a broader range of products, such as seat covers, air fresheners, and other amenities. Neither strategy will work, however, because people who are shopping for tires don't buy anything other than tires.

Which of the following, if true, would most seriously weaken the conclusion about the strategies that tire retailers are using?

A. Many consumers purchase inexpensive services and products wherever they can be purchased most conveniently.
B. Because tires are sold at a high margin, no other services or products can ever replace the revenue made from tires.
C. Tire retailers have thrived even though tires have steadily become more durable and less expensive for the past 50 years.
D. Consumers often buy only two tires at a time, as tires wear out at different rates depending upon which wheel they're on.
E. Consumers who have a positive experience with a retailer tend to return to that retailer for other services and products.

E for me.What is the OA?Though I also feel A is a strong contender

Is it [spoiler]{A}[/spoiler]?

theCodeToGMAT wrote:Is it [spoiler]{A}[/spoiler]?

Hi Rahul,

OA is E mate. I gave a kaplan test today and this question was in there. I scored 720 and this question came somewhere in the last. What do you think. Is this question hard or just awkward? I got this wrong too and picked
A

rakeshd347 wrote:

theCodeToGMAT wrote:Is it [spoiler]{A}[/spoiler]?

Hi Rahul,

OA is E mate. I gave a kaplan test today and this question was in there. I scored 720 and this question came somewhere in the last. What do you think. Is this question hard or just awkward? I got this wrong too and picked
A

hello Rakesh,
That's a nice score.. I am so scared of MOCKs mostly i don't complete QUANT
Anyways, I am confused between {A} & {E} .. I decided to go with {A} as it looked more general.

Whenever I give mocks i score SC > RC > CR. anyways why i feel E is the correct option is because it says" that people come again there because they have felt nice not because they want to purchase extra things or non important things"

A says " I can buy anything i want whenever i can" this is like ok, so what? Nothing! Also note "Many" people here. Do we know that for sure?

Just my 2 cents.

@Rakesh excellent score, as far as i have seen your activity you are on the path to acheive more than that on the actual test. All the best.

Aside: I envy you

it is E, if customer only goes to that retailer with whom consumers have positive experience, then such strategies wont work,
if u got 720 in kaplan test then u can easily achieve 700+ in real gmat

sana.noor wrote:it is E, if customer only goes to that retailer with whom consumers have positive experience, then such strategies wont work,
if u got 720 in kaplan test then u can easily achieve 700+ in real gmat

Well I scored 710 3 times last time in kaplan tests when I gave gmat and 710 710 700 in veritas prep and 700 in gmatprep but I end up getting 690 in the real test. 690 is not bad but I want 700+

There is no reason I see for A being wrong.

A. Many consumers purchase inexpensive services and products wherever they can be purchased most conveniently.

so everytime (whenever) people go to these retailers, they end up buying the other products and services..hence proved that the strategy is working. Why is this wrong?

A is not wrong, but the question stem asks "which of the following would MOST seriously...."

Therefore, you have to compare E and A to determine which is the BEST option.

IMO, A is not as good because of two reasons:

1. offering inexpensive services and products does create revenue but does not maximize it.

2. the argument does not state tire retailers are the most conveniently place for purchase. For example, you can probably purchase some of the products more conveniently and cheaper online or at a dealership.

E is good because it states directly that as long as a good experience is provided by the retailer, consumers tend to return to that (very specific here, meaning the retailer using the argument's strategy) retailer for other services and products.

cd86 wrote:There is no reason I see for A being wrong.

A. Many consumers purchase inexpensive services and products wherever they can be purchased most conveniently.

so everytime (whenever) people go to these retailers, they end up buying the other products and services..hence proved that the strategy is working. Why is this wrong?