Critical Reasoning

78.A recent report determined that although only 3
percent of drivers on Maryland highways equipped
their vehicles with radar detectors, 33 percent of all
vehicles ticketed for exceeding the speed limit were
equipped with them. Clearly, drivers who equip their
vehicles with radar detectors are more likely to exceed
the speed limit regularly than are drivers who do not.
The conclusion drawn above depends on which of the
following assumptions?
(A) Drivers who equip their vehicles with radar
detectors are less likely to be ticketed for
exceeding the speed limit than are drivers who
do not.
(B) Drivers who are ticketed for exceeding the
speed limit are more likely to exceed the speed
limit regularly than are drivers who are not
ticketed.
(C) The number of vehicles that were ticketed for
exceeding the speed limit was greater than the
number of vehicles that were equipped with
radar detectors.
(D) Many of the vehicles that were ticketed for
exceeding the speed limit were ticketed more
than once in the time period covered by the
report.
(E) Drivers on Maryland highways exceeded the
speed limit more often than did drivers on other
state highways not covered in the report.

What is the correct approach to solve this question?
Here is how I tried to solved it --
Step 1) Identified that it is assumption question
Step 2) deconstruct the argument into Conclusion, premise and try to find assumption
Step 3) predict the answer and then match it with answer choices

Conclusion:
"drivers who equip their vehicles with radar detectors are more likely to exceed the speed limit regularly than are drivers who do not"

Premise:
3 out of every 100 drivers have radar. 33 out of every 100 ticketed vehicles have radar.

Thanks

You nailed it, just take one step ahead and assumption will jump at you ..

If 33 out of 100 ticketed vehicles are equipped with Radar

THAT MEANS

Radar equipped vehicles are more likely to exceed speed limit

The gap as pointed out by bolded portions is that ...more the ticketing, more is the likelihood of exceeding speed limit.. Its just so obvious that we don't even think about the assumption at the first glance.. Choice B is your answer

SwatiAgarwal wrote:78.A recent report determined that although only 3
percent of drivers on Maryland highways equipped
their vehicles with radar detectors, 33 percent of all
vehicles ticketed for exceeding the speed limit were
equipped with them. Clearly, drivers who equip their
vehicles with radar detectors are more likely to exceed
the speed limit regularly than are drivers who do not.
The conclusion drawn above depends on which of the
following assumptions?
(A) Drivers who equip their vehicles with radar
detectors are less likely to be ticketed for
exceeding the speed limit than are drivers who
do not.
(B) Drivers who are ticketed for exceeding the
speed limit are more likely to exceed the speed
limit regularly than are drivers who are not
ticketed.
(C) The number of vehicles that were ticketed for
exceeding the speed limit was greater than the
number of vehicles that were equipped with
radar detectors.
(D) Many of the vehicles that were ticketed for
exceeding the speed limit were ticketed more
than once in the time period covered by the
report.
(E) Drivers on Maryland highways exceeded the
speed limit more often than did drivers on other
state highways not covered in the report.

What is the correct approach to solve this question?
Here is how I tried to solved it --
Step 1) Identified that it is assumption question
Step 2) deconstruct the argument into Conclusion, premise and try to find assumption
Step 3) predict the answer and then match it with answer choices

Conclusion:
"drivers who equip their vehicles with radar detectors are more likely to exceed the speed limit regularly than are drivers who do not"

Premise:
3 out of every 100 drivers have radar. 33 out of every 100 ticketed vehicles have radar.

Thanks

Learn to recognize the common flaws.
The passage above exhibits a language shift.
The premise is about drivers who get at least ONE -- and perhaps ONLY one -- speeding ticket.
The conclusion is about drivers who exceed the speed limit REGULARLY.
The argument connects these two ideas: it assumes that a driver who gets at least ONE speeding ticket exceeds the speed limit REGULARLY.

A useful tool for assumption questions is the negation test.
The correct answer is WHAT MUST BE TRUE for the argument to work.
Thus, when the correct answer is REVERSED, the argument will fall apart.
Any answer choice that fails this test can be eliminated.

Answer choice B negated: Drivers who are ticketed for exceeding the
speed limit are LESS likely to exceed the speed limit regularly than are drivers who are not ticketed.

The negation of answer choice B makes the argument fall apart. Therefore, answer choice B is the necessary assumption.

The correct answer is B.

Guru,

Thanks for your explanation. Is language shift a common technique that is used on the CR problems. Are there other questions that use such tricks.

B

For Swati:

Nice approach but I think you are missing one step here between 2 and 3 - restate the goal -

Relevant steps are mentioned in MGMAT blog by Stacey.

(B)