gmat set CR

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gmat set CR

by clammiestqasar » Mon Sep 27, 2010 6:35 am
In two months, the legal minimum wage in the country of Kirlandia will increase
from five Kirlandic dollars(KD5.00) Per hour to KD5.50 per hour. Opponents of
this increase have argued that the resulting rise in wages will drive the inflation
rate up. In fact its impact on wages will probably be negligible, since only a
very small proportion of all Kirfandic workers are currently receiving less than
KD5.50 per hour.
Which of the following, if true, most seriously weakens the argument?
A. Most people in kirlandia who are currently earning the minimum wage have
been employed at their current jobs for less than a year.
B. Some firms in Kirlandia have paid workers considerably less than KD5.00
per hour, in violation of kirlandic employment regulations.
C. Many businesses hire trainees at or near the minimum wage but must
reward trained workers by keeping their paylevels above the pay level
of trainees.
D. The greatest growth in Kirlandia's economy in recent years has been in
those sectors where workers earn wages that tend to be much higher
than the minimum wage.
E The current minimum wage is insufficient for a worker holding only one job
to earn enough to support a family ,even when working full time at that job.


OA B
If the employers are paying the workers less when the 5$ law is there then what is the surety that they will pay more after the law is modified?

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by ov25 » Mon Sep 27, 2010 8:05 am
imo B....

Here goes why...

no (inflationary) impact on K's economy <-- small proportion is paid <= $5 min wage.

purely by elimination

A: Strengthens -- small proportion but even in the small proportion, there would surely be an increase in most of the cases
B: The data used is skewed. So does not strengthen (therefore most seriously weakens among the choices)
C: Strengthens -- same as A -- small proportion but even in the small proportion, there would surely be an increase in multiple cases
D Strengthens -- higher the wages, greater the growth in economy (supports argument that more pay more inflation)
E: Strengthens -- min wage is insuff to support family. If families are being supported currently, the >= min wage is necessary

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by g000fy » Mon Sep 27, 2010 8:46 am
"considerably less" are the keywords here. The argument claims that the proportion of underpaid workers is less but doesn't say anything about how much are those workers underpaid. If the workers are paid considerably less as B says, then the resulting rise in wages could be substantial driving the inflation rate up.

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by psychomath » Sat Oct 02, 2010 11:44 pm