Critical Reasoning

An internal survey revealed that some employees at Company Y had called in sick in order to take care of a sick child. The company's CEO instituted free on-site day care in hopes of reducing the number of employees engaging in this practice. However, the number of employees who called in sick to care for a sick child was actually higher in the sixth month of the on-site day-care program than it had been the month before the program was instituted.

Each of the following, if true, might account for the free day-care plan's apparent lack of success EXCEPT:

1. Many parents at Company Y employ nannies, who care for both sick and healthy children.
2. Many parents declined to use the day care for fear that their sick children would catch a second illness from another sick child.
3. The on-site free day-care center is noisy, hot, and uncomfortable.
4. The sixth month of the on-site day-care program happened to fall at the height of flu season.
5. During the six-month period in question, the number of employees at Company Y increased by 25%.

I had picked up 5 while correct answer is 1.

I think 1 does give reason for its failure as if they have nannies then they will not go for the new program.

Time: 1:28
IMO E

A is not a factor that has changed after CEO instituted free on-site day care. It simply says parents employ nannies.

Ans : A

Question is asking for - a reason that cannot be a cause for lack of success for new program.

so since A states that parents of company Y has already employed nannies to take care of their children. However it is nowhere weakening the statement, that day care would fail because of it.

B, C, D, and E can be the causes for failure of day care program.

Hence A.

When the nannies are hired by employee they will not go for the program.

for E i think that if the number of employee increased will not much affect the result because they might or might not go for the tc service as even we do not they have kids or not. all is assumed so i find E to be the more correct reason.

rupsk,

A states MANY employees have nannies, but still they don't show up in company. hence even having day care won't make them to come to company. Hence its not affecting company's day care plan.

While E says number of employees has increased, hence there are chances that no. of employees taking leaves will continue.

let me know if this helps.

Thanks for reply but I still have doubts. I may sound like dumb but I still believe A is more relevant than E.

The Explanation which you had given assume that after that also they are not coming. I mean if they have someone to take care of their babies the day care plan will not be useful for them.

But increase in the number of employee will be selected based on assumption that most of them have kids and are having health issues.

You are looking for something that changed. Unless employees who had nannies fired them to use the daycare center, their behavior would have no impact on absentee rates. We know the nannies were taking care of the children whether sick or well, so those individuals who had nannies were never calling in sick to care for their children. Assuming they still have nannies, they still are not calling in sick to care for kids, so they couldn't be responsible for an increase in sick days.

So aren't we assuming that nannies were hired even before program started as it is not mentioned in the statement.

And for the option E we are assuming that employee who joined the organisation are having kid and are taking leaves to take care of their children?

Yes - both are fair assumptions. Remember, strengtheners only have to make an argument more likely to be true, not necessarily prove it. The stem says "might account for" the change.