Critical Reasoning

If the ad agency that created the television ad for Tough-As-Nails Tools had thoroughly researched customer demographics, then they would have realized that the majority of frequent tool users are men. Yet the ad was shown during a cooking program targeted to women. However, if the advertisers had not researched customer demographics, then the ad would not have incorporated images depicting the use of tools in home improvement projects as an activity that men enjoy. Yet the ad did so. Therefore the ad agency made some sort of mistake: either the agency did not understand the demographics of the cooking program's audience or the ad was intended to be shown during a different program.

Which one of the following statements, if true, would most weaken the argument above?


(A)The purchasers of products given as gifts are not the ultimate users of those products.

(B) Many women, including those who watch cooking programs, occasionally use tools for home improvement projects.

(C)The ad agency had never previously aired an ad during a program other than the one intended.

(D) Some men, including some who use tools frequently, occasionally watch cooking programs.

(E) The ad agency has a reputation for conducting high quality demographic research.

bryan88 wrote:If the ad agency that created the television ad for Tough-As-Nails Tools had thoroughly researched customer demographics, then they would have realized that the majority of frequent tool users are men. Yet the ad was shown during a cooking program targeted to women. However, if the advertisers had not researched customer demographics, then the ad would not have incorporated images depicting the use of tools in home improvement projects as an activity that men enjoy. Yet the ad did so. Therefore the ad agency made some sort of mistake: either the agency did not understand the demographics of the cooking program's audience or the ad was intended to be shown during a different program.

Which one of the following statements, if true, would most weaken the argument above?


(A)The purchasers of products given as gifts are not the ultimate users of those products.

(B) Many women, including those who watch cooking programs, occasionally use tools for home improvement projects.

(C)The ad agency had never previously aired an ad during a program other than the one intended.

(D) Some men, including some who use tools frequently, occasionally watch cooking programs.

(E) The ad agency has a reputation for conducting high quality demographic research.

To weaken the conclusion, the correct answer must show that the ad agency did NOT make a mistake: that it DID understand the demographics of the cooking program's audience and that the ad was NOT intended to be shown during a different program.

Answer choice A: The PURCHASERS of products given as gifts are not the ultimate USERS of those products.
This answer choice explains why it was NOT a mistake to run the ad during a cooking show aimed at women: even though women do not USE tools, they might PURCHASE tools in order to give them as GIFTS to men.

The correct answer is A.

Doesnt C also prove that it wasn't a mistake and track record shows that it was aired at that time.

bryan88 wrote:Doesnt C also prove that it wasn't a mistake and track record shows that it was aired at that time.

C: The ad agency had never previously aired an ad during a program other than the one intended.
This answer choice states only that the ad agency had never before made a mistake; it does not help determine whether the ad agency made a mistake in the case at hand.

The husbands listens to their wives. SO if the wives see and persuades husbands then the usage of the tools will be even higher

(A)

If the ad agency that created the television ad for Tough-As-Nails Tools had thoroughly researched customer demographics, then they would have realized that the majority of frequent tool users are men. Yet the ad was shown during a cooking program targeted to women. However, if the advertisers had not researched customer demographics, then the ad would not have incorporated images depicting the use of tools in home improvement projects as an activity that men enjoy. Yet the ad did so. Therefore the ad agency made some sort of mistake: either the agency did not understand the demographics of the cooking program's audience or the ad was intended to be shown during a different program.

Which one of the following statements, if true, would most weaken the argument above?


(A)The purchasers of products given as gifts are not the ultimate users of those products.

(B) Many women, including those who watch cooking programs, occasionally use tools for home improvement projects.

(C)The ad agency had never previously aired an ad during a program other than the one intended.

(D) Some men, including some who use tools frequently, occasionally watch cooking programs.

(E) The ad agency has a reputation for conducting high quality demographic research.



The correct answer is A. This clearly says that the advertisers did not make any mistake in advertising the product. The reason is that the users are men but the purchasers are some people else maybe the women or the grandparents. Hence A is the correct answer.

It is like saying that Ice-cream eaters are children but the buyers are grandparents or the parents, though they do not buy the product.

Options B and D use the word occasionally, hence they are wrong.
Options C and E do not weaken the argument at all.

Hence A

Hope this explanation really helped you guyzzzz!!!