Conclusion: it is doubtful whether performance reviews have any productive value

Premise: since objectivity is clearly impossible to achieve when one individual is evaluating another.

A:Whether reviewers factor in the possibility that employees' motives may be a result of self-interest rather than genuine commitment to their work

Performance rather than motives is what is being evaluated.

B:Whether the reviewer's motives are also based on the misconception that performance is directly related to pay scales

The conclusion is about the value of the reviews as affected by the objectivity of the reviewers, and there is no clear connection between objectivity and motives.

C:Whether market forces are taken into account by those who conduct performance reviews

Whether the reviewer takes market forces into account is not clearly connected to reviewer objectivity or the value of the reviews.

D:Whether performance reviews are devoid of subjective parameters of evaluation

If performance reviews are devoid of subjective parameters of evaluation, then they have only objective parameters of valuation or no parameters of evaluation. Since it is reasonable to assume that they have some parameters of evaluation, this answer to this question would indicate one way or the other whether the reviews are objective. If the reviews are objective, the the premise is invalid and the conclusion is incorrect.

E:Whether employees are aware of the real determiner behind performance reviews.

The level of awareness had by employees does not affect the objectivity of a person evaluating the performance of those employees.

The correct answer is D.

gmat_for_life wrote:Annual performance reviews are often based on the misconception that employees' performance is directly related to their pay scales, when in fact pay is usually determined by market forces. While some analysts correctly observe that the real determiner behind performance reviews is the level of objectivity that the manager performing the review is capable of, it is doubtful whether performance reviews have any productive value since objectivity is clearly impossible to achieve when one individual is evaluating another.
Which of the following would it be most useful to know in order to evaluate the author's conclusion?

A:Whether reviewers factor in the possibility that employees' motives may be a result of self-interest rather than genuine commitment to their work

B:Whether the reviewer's motives are also based on the misconception that performance is directly related to pay scales

C:Whether market forces are taken into account by those who conduct performance reviews

D:Whether performance reviews are devoid of subjective parameters of evaluation

E:Whether employees are aware of the real determiner behind performance reviews.

Premise: Objectivity is clearly impossible to achieve when one individual is evaluating another.
Conclusion: It is doubtful whether performance reviews have any productive value.

The author assumes that there is a LINK between the two portions in red -- that performance reviews are occasions when one individual is evaluating another.

Rephrase the answer choices as STATEMENTS.
To help us evaluate the author's conclusion, the correct answer choice will either STRENGTHEN or WEAKEN the link between the two red portions above.

D, rephrased as a statement:
Performance reviews are devoid of subjective parameters of evaluation.
Since one individual evaluating another is an example of a SUBJECTIVE PARAMETER, this option indicates that performance reviews are NOT occasions when one individual is evaluating another, WEAKENING the link between the two red portions above.

The correct answer is D.

seems a tough one. Couldn't get this.How D is weakening the argument? pl explain.

sandipgumtya wrote:seems a tough one. Couldn't get this.How D is weakening the argument? pl explain.

Why does the argument conclude that performance reviews lack value?
Because objectivity is impossible to achieve when one individual is evaluating another.

The arguments assumes that performance reviews LACK OBJECTIVITY.
objectivity = judgment based upon FACTS.
subjectivity = judgment based upon PERSONAL FEELINGS.
subjective is the OPPOSITE of objective.

D, rephrased as a statement:
Performance reviews are devoid of subjective parameters of evaluation.
Here, performance reviews completely lack SUBJECTIVE parameters, implying that they are composed solely of OBJECTIVE parameters -- WEAKENING the assumption that performance reviews lack objectivity and the conclusion that they lack value.