Miners' union on strike against Coalco.

Expert replies

amysky_0205: Master | Next Rank: 500 Posts; Posts: 193; Joined: Wed Dec 05, 2012 6:53 amFollowed by: 5 members; Thanked: 4 times

by amysky_0205 » Thu Dec 06, 2012 6:58 am

Leaders of a miners' union on strike against Coalco are contemplating additional measures to pressure the company to accept the union's contract proposal. The union leaders are considering as their principal new tactic a consumer boycott against Gasco gas stations, which are owned by Energy Incorporated, the same corporation that owns Coalco.

The answer to which of the following questions is LEAST directly relevant to the union leaders' consideration of whether attempting a boycott of Gasco will lead to acceptance of their contract proposal?

(A) Would revenue losses by Gasco seriously affect Energy Incorporated?

(B) Can current Gasco customers easily obtain gasoline elsewhere?

(C) Have other miners' unions won contracts similar to the one proposed by this union?

(D) Have other unions that have employed a similar tactic achieved their goals with it?

(E) Do other corporations that own coal companies also own gas stations?

OA: E

Can someone explain~~~ I have difficult choosing among CDE.

thank u!

Source: Beat The GMAT — Critical Reasoning | Thu Dec 06, 2012 6:58 am

renetan: Newbie | Next Rank: 10 Posts; Posts: 9; Joined: Wed Jul 09, 2014 5:39 pm

by renetan » Tue Sep 02, 2014 7:37 pm

My reasoning is D; what happened to other unions of other companies have no impact on what will happen to this union.

E is relevant because if there are other companies that own gas stations, the miners' union's strategy may not work.

C is relevant because it is also miners' unions.

David@GMATPrepNow: Master | Next Rank: 500 Posts; Posts: 147; Joined: Mon Jul 21, 2014 3:52 pmFollowed by: 21 members; Thanked: 53 times

by David@GMATPrepNow » Fri Sep 12, 2014 6:07 am

Hi amysky_0205,

The correct answer is E. That means it is the answer which is LEAST likely to be asked by the union members as they consider whether or not to proceed with the boycott. Of course, the reason it is LEAST likely to be asked is that it is IRRELEVANT to the aims of the boycott.

"Have other miners' unions won contracts similar to the one proposed by this union?" (answer C) is relevant (i.e. something the union members would want to know) because they would want to know if their proposal had worked elsewhere. Because it is relevant, we don't want to choose this answer.

"Have other unions that have employed a similar tactic achieved their goals with it?" (answer D) is also relevant because they would want to know if their tactics had worked elsewhere. Because it is relevant, we don't want to choose this answer.

"Do other corporations that own coal companies also own gas stations?" (answer E) is irrelevant because we are concerned about this particular gas station and coal company. This is the answer we are after!

I hope this helps.

GMAT Course Reviews

563 reviews

1168 reviews

431 reviews

359 reviews

147 reviews

5/5

5 Star (563 Reviews)

"Target Test Prep is the closest to the official version of the GMAT exam, about 99% accuracy in terms of the quality and quantity of information. The course has excellently created singular sets of focused lessons and tests for every possible topic that one could come across in the official GMAT exam."

"The TTP course maximizes the efficiency of the time you spend studying. It will take time and effort but I could almost guarantee that if you complete the course exactly as it is laid out you will get an amazing score. They also have a very responsive team willing to help with any questions you might have."

"TTP has two things that I think no other test prep company offers: A teaching approach that reinforces understanding and an attitude that will give you the mental preparedness needed to succeed on the test. TTP gives you a deep understanding of the concept you need to know while teaching you how to think."

Write a Review