Despite the approach of winter, oil prices to industrial customers are exceptionally low this year and likely to remain so. Therefore, unless the winter is especially severe, the price of natural gas to industrial customers is also likely to remain low.
Which of the following, if true, provides the most support for the conclusion above?
(A) Long-term weather forecasts predict a mild winter.
(B) The industrial users who consume most natural gas can quickly and cheaply switch to using oil instead.
(C) The largest sources of supply for both oil and natural gas are in subtropical regions unlikely to be affected by winter weather.
(D) The fuel requirements of industrial users of natural gas are not seriously affected by the weather.
(E) Oil distribution is more likely to be affected by severe winter weather than is the distribution of natural gas.
How to eliminate A?
Conclusion: If WINTER is not severe, NG price is likely to remain LOW.
A says winter will be mild i.e. not SEVERE ====> SO NG price is likely to remain LOW
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Conditional Logic in GMAT
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If A, then B.imskpwr wrote:Despite the approach of winter, oil prices to industrial customers are exceptionally low this year and likely to remain so. Therefore, unless the winter is especially severe, the price of natural gas to industrial customers is also likely to remain low.
Which of the following, if true, provides the most support for the conclusion above?
(A) Long-term weather forecasts predict a mild winter.
(B) The industrial users who consume most natural gas can quickly and cheaply switch to using oil instead.
(C) The largest sources of supply for both oil and natural gas are in subtropical regions unlikely to be affected by winter weather.
(D) The fuel requirements of industrial users of natural gas are not seriously affected by the weather.
(E) Oil distribution is more likely to be affected by severe winter weather than is the distribution of natural gas.
How to eliminate A?
Conclusion: If WINTER is not severe, NG price is likely to remain LOW.
A says winter will be mild i.e. not SEVERE ====> SO NG price is likely to remain LOW
In this construction, A = premise and B = conclusion.
In the CR above:
Unless the winter is especially severe, the price of natural gas to industrial customers is also likely to remain low.
Rephrased as an if-then statement:
If the winter is not especially severe, then the price of natural gas to industrial customers is also likely to remain low.
Here, the red portion = premise, the blue portion = conclusion.
The correct answer choice must offer an ADDITIONAL PREMISE -- one aside from the premise in red, one that is NOT weather-related -- to support the conclusion that the price of natural gas will remain low.
B: The industrial users who consume most natural gas can quickly and cheaply switch to using oil instead.
Implication:
To dissuade industrial users from using oil instead of gas, producers of natural gas are likely to keep prices low, STRENGTHENING the blue conclusion above.
The correct answer is B.
A: Long-term weather forecasts predict a mild winter.
Since this information is weather-related, eliminate A.
As noted above, the correct answer choice must offer a premise that is NOT weather-related.
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Followed here and elsewhere by over 1900 test-takers.
I have worked with students based in the US, Australia, Taiwan, China, Tajikistan, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia -- a long list of countries.
My students have been admitted to HBS, CBS, Tuck, Yale, Stern, Fuqua -- a long list of top programs.
As a tutor, I don't simply teach you how I would approach problems.
I unlock the best way for YOU to solve problems.
For more information, please email me (Mitch Hunt) at [email protected].
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