Critical Reasoning

To save time and money on water and maintenance, many homeowners are opting for the use of synthetic potted plants, instead of real plants, for the decoration of the interiors of their homes. The synthetic plants being sold today are very realistic in their details and often quite beautiful. Since most homeowners welcome ways to reduce expenses, synthetic plants are increasing in popularity. Because of these benefits, homeowners should replace their live indoor plants with synthetic plants.

The answer to which of the following would be most useful in evaluating the argument?


A. Are synthetic plants replicas of real live plant species, or are they original designs based on common plant forms?

B. Can the efficiency of the photosynthesis of a live indoor plant be affected by the behavior of humans in its surroundings?

C. Do homeowners with live plants spend more than 5% of their overall home expenses on the maintenance of such plants?

D. Are the organic gaseous exchanges of a live plant advantageous to its immediate surrounding environment?

E. What percentage of homeowners are interested in cutting down the costs associated with general home maintenance?


OA D

Source: Economist Gmat