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OG verbal review - assumption

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OG verbal review - assumption

by agarwalva » Tue May 08, 2012 1:39 pm
Traditionally, decision-making by managers that is reasoned step-by-step has been considered preferable to intuitive decision-making. However, a recent study found that top managers used intuition significantly more than did most middle- or lower-level managers. This confirms the alternative view that intuition is actually more effective than careful, methodical reasoning.
The conclusion above is based on which of the following assumptions?

(A) Methodical, step-by-step reasoning is inappropriate for making many real-life management decisions.
(B) Top managers have the ability to use either intuitive reasoning or methodical, step-by-step reasoning in making decisions.
(C) The decisions made by middle- and lower-level managers can be made as easily by using methodical reasoning as by using intuitive reasoning.
(D) Top managers use intuitive reasoning in making the majority of their decisions.
(E) Top managers are more effective at decision-making than middle- or lower-level managers

OA E

my question is why is b wrong.. If the top managers just dont know how to use methodical reasoning and hence they use intuitive reasoning....


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by Bill@VeritasPrep » Tue May 08, 2012 2:28 pm
The ability of top managers to use both styles of decision making is not required for the conclusion (intuition is more effective than methodical) to be true. If they can use both, that could add evidence that intuition is better. However, on an Assumption question, the correct answer doesn't merely strengthen; it must be true for the argument to be true.

If we negate B, it would say that top managers DO NOT have the ability to use both styles. This would mean that they are using intuition out of necessity rather than by choice, but how does it affect the conclusion? It doesn't.

If we negate E (top managers ARE NOT more effective...), then the argument falls apart. The conclusion is based on the premise that top managers use intuition more than lower managers do and thus intuition is better. If we can't say that top managers are better, it's hard to conclude that intuition is better.
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by gina9631 » Mon Feb 25, 2013 9:49 pm
Bill@VeritasPrep wrote:The ability of top managers to use both styles of decision making is not required for the conclusion (intuition is more effective than methodical) to be true. If they can use both, that could add evidence that intuition is better. However, on an Assumption question, the correct answer doesn't merely strengthen; it must be true for the argument to be true.

If we negate B, it would say that top managers DO NOT have the ability to use both styles. This would mean that they are using intuition out of necessity rather than by choice, but how does it affect the conclusion? It doesn't.

If we negate E (top managers ARE NOT more effective...), then the argument falls apart. The conclusion is based on the premise that top managers use intuition more than lower managers do and thus intuition is better. If we can't say that top managers are better, it's hard to conclude that intuition is better.
I still don't understand,when negate E,we got: top managers are as effective as other managers.so when you combine the negated assumpiton with the premise that top managers use intuition more than other managers,we can conclude that intuition is indeed better than methodical reasoning because that means it's not the effectiveness of manager but two methods themselves that makes the one method better than the other.
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by GMATGuruNY » Wed Feb 27, 2013 8:18 am
agarwalva wrote:Traditionally, decision-making by managers that is reasoned step-by-step has been considered preferable to intuitive decision-making. However, a recent study found that top managers used intuition significantly more than did most middle- or lower-level managers. This confirms the alternative view that intuition is actually more effective than careful, methodical reasoning.
The conclusion above is based on which of the following assumptions?

(A) Methodical, step-by-step reasoning is inappropriate for making many real-life management decisions.
(B) Top managers have the ability to use either intuitive reasoning or methodical, step-by-step reasoning in making decisions.
(C) The decisions made by middle- and lower-level managers can be made as easily by using methodical reasoning as by using intuitive reasoning.
(D) Top managers use intuitive reasoning in making the majority of their decisions.
(E) Top managers are more effective at decision-making than middle- or lower-level managers
Premise: Top managers USE intuition.
Conclusion: Intuition is MORE EFFECTIVE.

The argument assumes that there is a link between the USE of intuition and the EFFECTIVENESS of intuition.
If top managers who USE intuition are NOT MORE EFFECTIVE, then the conclusion is invalidated.

Answer choice E:
For the conclusion to be valid, IT MUST BE TRUE THAT top managers are more effective at decision-making than middle- or lower-level managers.
Yes: If top managers are NOT MORE EFFECTIVE at decision-making, then the argument cannot conclude that intuition -- which top managers USE -- is more effective than careful, methodical reasoning.

The correct answer is E.
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by ceilidh.erickson » Wed Feb 27, 2013 8:25 am
Consider this analogy:

In an art class, students can use red paint or green paint. Left-handed students tend to use green paint much more than right-handed students do. So, we can conclude that green paint is better for art than red paint.

Basically, our conclusion says that green paint is better because left-handed students use it. The only way for this to make sense is if left-handed students are better at art than right-handed students.

The given argument is similar - it claims that intuition is effective because top managers use it more than middle or low-level managers. This only makes sense if top managers are better at decision-making than their middle and low counterparts.
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