Question Pack 1 CR | The technological conservatism of bicyc

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The technological conservatism of bicycle manufacturers is a reflection of the kinds of demand they are trying to meet. The only cyclists seriously interested in innovation and willing to pay for it are bicycle racers. Therefore, innovation in bicycle technology is limited by what authorities will accept as standard for purposes of competition in bicycle races.

Which of the following is an assumption made in drawing the conclusion above?

(A) The market for cheap, traditional bicycles cannot expand unless the market for high-performance competition bicycles expands.
(B) High-performance bicycles are likely to be improved more as a result of technological innovations developed in small workshops than as a result of technological innovations developed in major manufacturing concerns.
(C) Bicycle racers do not generate a strong demand for innovations that fall
outside what is officially recognized as standard for purposes of competition.
(D) The technological conservatism of bicycle manufacturers results primarily from their desire to manufacture a product that can be sold without being altered to suit different national markets.
(E) The authorities who set standards for high-performance bicycle racing do not keep informed about innovative bicycle design.
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by elias.latour.apex » Tue May 09, 2017 3:41 am
As always, we start by reading the question first. It tells us that we are looking for an assumption made in drawing the conclusion.

What's the conclusion? It is: innovation in bicycle technology is limited by what authorities will accept as standard for purposes of competition in bicycle races.

Why? Because The only cyclists seriously interested in innovation and willing to pay for it are bicycle racers.

Did you notice any new, surprising words in the conclusion? The premise talks about bicycle racers, but the conclusion talks about standard for purposes of competition. Is there a connection between those two things? The author assumes that there is.

(C) is the best answer. It is the one that connects the idea in the premise (bicycle racers) to the idea in the conclusion (standard for purposes of competition).

But imagine that you didn't see that. Is there another way to get to the answer? Sure. Use the why test.

C: Innovation in bicycle technology is limited by what authorities will accept as standard for purposes of competition in bicycle races.
Why?
A: Bicycle racers do not generate a strong demand for innovations that fall outside what is officially recognized as standard for purposes of competition, and
P: The only cyclists seriously interested in innovation and willing to pay for it are bicycle racers.

Does that make sense? I think it does. But what if you're still not convinced? Try negating the conclusion to see whether the argument fails.

C: Innovation in bicycle technology is limited by what authorities will accept as standard for purposes of competition in bicycle races.
Why?
A: Bicycle racers generate a strong demand for innovations that fall outside what is officially recognized as standard for purposes of competition, and
P: The only cyclists seriously interested in innovation and willing to pay for it are bicycle racers.

Does this argument make sense? No, it does not. If racers generate a strong demand for innovations that fall outside the official standard, then the conclusion is false.
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