BREAKING: Target Test Prep releases Brand New 2026 On Demand GMAT prep course

Redeem

explanation plzz..

This topic has expert replies
Post new topic Post Reply
Previous Topic Next Topic
Junior | Next Rank: 30 Posts
Posts: 24
Joined: Sun May 11, 2008 10:56 pm

explanation plzz..

by raptor84 » Wed Feb 04, 2009 11:11 pm
An oil field prospector and developer reported a large oil deposit in southwestern Texas. As a result, a large oil and gas company purchased the field with the intention of drilling oil wells in the area soon afterwards. However, the company found that what had been reported to be a large oil deposit was actually much smaller than had been indicated. Thus, the methods that the prospector had used to determine the size of the oil deposit must have been inaccurate.

Which of the following is an assumption on which the argument depends?


The company's methods of measuring the size of the oil deposit were determined by a third party to be more accurate than those used by the prospector.

The prospector did not purposefully fabricate or misrepresent the size of the oil deposit.

Though smaller than originally thought, the oil deposit contained enough oil to make drilling commercially feasible.

The prospector did not explore other oil fields and use the same methods to determine the magnitude of the oil present, if any.

The company had successfully drilled for oil in other large oil fields in Texas throughout the early twentieth century.

OA is B why not A
Top
Source: — Critical Reasoning |
User avatar
Site Admin
Posts: 2567
Joined: Thu Jan 01, 2009 10:05 am
Thanked: 712 times
Followed by:550 members
GMAT Score:770

by DanaJ » Thu Feb 05, 2009 4:39 am
Well, you see, there are two reasons why the oil deposit could have been over evaluated:
1. the oil field prospector and the developer used a method that was not efficient: using the wrong tools and stuff like that
2. they lied so the developer (who usually owns the land) could get a better price for that specific parcel.

Now, the argument here is that "the methods that the prospector had used to determine the size of the oil deposit must have been inaccurate". In order for this to be true, you have to eliminate the assumption that they purposely lied about the size of the oil deposit.

I think that your mistake here is confusing the argument of the text: as shown above, the argument is whether the methods they used were accurate. A would have been the right answer if the argument had been determining the size of the deposit.
Top
Junior | Next Rank: 30 Posts
Posts: 21
Joined: Thu Jun 19, 2008 1:08 am
Thanked: 2 times

by deep » Thu Feb 05, 2009 6:06 am
I think the assumptions here are,

1) prospector did not fabricate or misrepresent the size of the oil deposit.

2) company's methods of measuring the size is accurate.

If we take these 2 assumption then only this statement holds
" company can claim that methods that the prospector had used to determine the size of the oil deposit must have been inaccurate "

But this leaves us with option A and B both.

I m confused which one should be the answer.
Top
Junior | Next Rank: 30 Posts
Posts: 24
Joined: Sun Jan 07, 2007 6:14 pm
Thanked: 1 times

by Argen » Thu Feb 05, 2009 12:01 pm
I think 1) is more of a strengthen but not a necessary assumption, because it depends on 2) to be true.
Top

GMAT/MBA Expert

User avatar
GMAT Instructor
Posts: 2623
Joined: Mon Jun 02, 2008 3:17 am
Location: Montreal
Thanked: 1090 times
Followed by:355 members
GMAT Score:780

by Ian Stewart » Thu Feb 05, 2009 12:59 pm
I can see why some might choose A) here, but as Dana points out above, B) is a necessary assumption in the argument. It's useful to notice, in CR questions, what information you should be accepting as 'absolute fact'. The stem says "However, the company found that what had been reported to be a large oil deposit was actually much smaller than had been indicated." This is a fact; it is not an assumption. We should accept as true that the oil deposit is not as large as the prospector claimed. Whether the "third party" mentioned in answer choice A) thinks the company has better methods than the prospector is immaterial (and, to see why A) is truly unimportant here, you might ask: 'who cares what a third party thinks, if we don't know how reliable that third party is?').
For online GMAT math tutoring, or to buy my higher-level Quant books and problem sets, contact me at ianstewartgmat at gmail.com

ianstewartgmat.com
Top
Senior | Next Rank: 100 Posts
Posts: 37
Joined: Sun Jan 25, 2009 5:34 pm

by shargaur » Wed Feb 25, 2009 10:06 pm
Conclusion : The methods that the prospector had used to determine the size of the oil deposit must have been inaccurate.

Which of the following is an assumption on which the argument depends?


The company's methods of measuring the size of the oil deposit were determined by a third party to be more accurate than those used by the prospector. Who care whether the measurement is done by prospector or 3rd party.

The prospector did not purposefully fabricate or misrepresent the size of the oil deposit. Correct. If this is not the case then measurement might be true which is against the conclusion.

Though smaller than originally thought, the oil deposit contained enough oil to make drilling commercially feasible. Conclusion is about methods.

The prospector did not explore other oil fields and use the same methods to determine the magnitude of the oil present, if any. irrelevant

The company had successfully drilled for oil in other large oil fields in Texas throughout the early twentieth century. Irrelevant
Top
Master | Next Rank: 500 Posts
Posts: 108
Joined: Tue Aug 05, 2014 3:00 am

by graem83d » Sun May 15, 2016 2:06 am
In my opinion A is the most logical one B
Top
Post new topic Post Reply
• Page 1 of 1