Prime-time ratings(NTR Channel)

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Prime-time ratings(NTR Channel)

by S0laris » Sun Mar 08, 2009 11:51 am
Television programming experts maintain that with each 1% increase in the prime-time ratings of a television station there is a 3.5% increase in the number of people who watch its evening news program. However, in the last ten years at Channel NTR, there was only one year of extremely high prime-time ratings and during that year, fewer people than ever watched Channel NTR’s evening news program.

Which of the following conclusions can properly be drawn from the statements above?

(A) When a news program has good ratings, the channel as a whole will have good ratings.
Too far from argument

(B) The programming experts neglected to consider daytime news programs.
"Daytime news" is not relevant

(C) The year of high ratings at NTR was a result of two hit shows which were subsequently canceled because of contractual problems.
Beyond the scope

(D) The ten-year period in question is not representative of normal viewing patterns.
Chosen by me

(E) Prime-time ratings are not the only factor affecting how many people watch an evening news program.
OA

The passage provides information as a rule to predict that Y-increase will be =3.5% when X-increase=1%. Then, introduced by "However", passage states exceptional case that happend with Channel NTR during 10 years period. So, according to the inference strategy - do not assume too much and base on premises - I chose D. Obviously, E - follows logically, but IMO only as an assumption, not as an inference. After all, IMO D- 1 step high to infer, E - little higher, moreover seems to be assumption. Thus, D might be closer to be correct.
Is there some mistake I made during my resoning ?[/b]
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Source: — Critical Reasoning |

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OA

by S0laris » Tue Mar 10, 2009 2:21 am
Can somebody explain why OA is E ?
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by dendude » Wed Mar 11, 2009 9:44 am
Solaris,

The question asks to determine a conclusion and not an assumption.
In such paradoxical arguments, one should look for a conclusion that offers a different viewpoint (more often than not, this tends to be in the negative) and sticks to the premises as close as possible.
E says that it is not only prime-time ratings that determines the viewership of the evening news. There is something else too and hence offers a different viewpoint. It also does not go out of the scope of the argument.

D, is definitely not a conclusion.
If you assume the last statement in the argument to be a conclusion then D would probably act as an assumption. And I think this was the trap that the question tried to set.

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by S0laris » Wed Mar 11, 2009 10:12 am
Appreciate Dendude,
I was thinking that when question asks to draw conclusion - means find inference, hence eliminating other patterns. Seems that stimulus structure should be considered either.
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by dendude » Wed Mar 11, 2009 10:36 am
S0laris wrote:Appreciate Dendude,
I was thinking that when question asks to draw conclusion - means find inference, hence eliminating other patterns. Seems that stimulus structure should be considered either.
You're very welcome.
Since you mentioned it, here's another piece of advice. Always infer as little as possible and stick as close as possible to the argument.

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by tanviet » Wed Mar 11, 2009 7:27 pm
D is wrong because there is not viewing pattern inhere

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by nicolette » Sun May 15, 2016 11:33 am
In my opinion D is the most logical one