Critical Reasoning

As part of our program to halt the influx of illegal immigrants, the administration is proposing the creation of a national identity card. The card would be available only to U.S. citizens and to registered aliens, and all persons would be required to produce the card before they could be given a job. Of course, such a system holds the potential, however slight, for the abuse of civil liberties. Therefore, all personal information gathered through this system would be held strictly confidential, to be released only by authorized personnel under appropriate circumstances. Those who are in compliance with U.S. laws would have nothing to fear from the identity card system.
In evaluating the above proposal, a person concerned about the misuse of confidential information would be most interested in having the author clarify the meaning of which of the following phrases?
(A) “all persons” (line 5)
(B) “however slight” (line 7)
(C) “civil liberties” (line 8)
(D) “appropriate circumstances” (line 11)
(E) “U.S. laws” (line 2)

The OA is D

I didn't know the question was so hard. anyone?

Sunny22uk wrote:As part of our program to halt the influx of illegal immigrants, the administration is proposing the creation of a national identity card. The card would be available only to U.S. citizens and to registered aliens, and all persons would be required to produce the card before they could be given a job. Of course, such a system holds the potential, however slight, for the abuse of civil liberties. Therefore, all personal information gathered through this system would be held strictly confidential, to be released only by authorized personnel under appropriate circumstances. Those who are in compliance with U.S. laws would have nothing to fear from the identity card system.
In evaluating the above proposal, a person concerned about the misuse of confidential information would be most interested in having the author clarify the meaning of which of the following phrases?
(A) “all persons” (line 5)
(B) “however slight” (line 7)
(C) “civil liberties” (line 8)
(D) “appropriate circumstances” (line 11)
(E) “U.S. laws” (line 2)

We're concerned about misuse of confidential information. Accordingly, the sentence with which we're most concerned is:

Therefore, all personal information gathered through this system would be held strictly confidential, to be released only by authorized personnel under appropriate circumstances.

Only choice (d) comes from this line - that by itself is a good enough reason to choose (d).

IMO D

why not B ..???

B talks about the however slight the abuse could be... as in what the abuse could potentially do (falsify identity, change identity, etc.) - someone who is concerned is concerned about ANY abuse regardless of how extreme

Someone concerned about the misuse would be concerned with "when will the personal information be shared, as in under what circumstances" (Job, Grocery Store, gas station, etc.)

That's why i think D is right...

BTW I reasoned B originally but after some thought agreed with D

the dummest gmat CR question i have ever seen. Where is the logic and GMAT logic behind this "correct" answer? Only in the mind of a person who came up with this question in the first place. Any one person could be potentially interested in clarification of any these terms. Questions like this one makes you doubt the GMAT and its main objective!!!

Musicolo wrote:the dummest gmat CR question i have ever seen. Where is the logic and GMAT logic behind this "correct" answer? Only in the mind of a person who came up with this question in the first place. Any one person could be potentially interested in clarification of any these terms. Questions like this one makes you doubt the GMAT and its main objective!!!

my sentiments exacty....this is a funked up question.

Clearly D

No doubt D .. This is the first time I have seen CR question like this?

I think though we are seeing this question first time, logic will help us to answer this question. In most of the govt. books and sites it is always posted that 'we will reveal your personal information to so and so company and under so and so circumstances'.

If I am not wrong then we always concerned more about the 'so and so circumstances' than 'so and so company'. Same logic is here for this question. So I don't think that this problem is so hard.

Anyways answer is D