Alex Cake - Manhattan - The Beat The GMAT Forum - Expert GMAT Help & MBA Admissions Advice

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

Redeem

Alex Cake - Manhattan

This topic has expert replies

Post new topic Post Reply

Previous Topic Next Topic

ket: Senior | Next Rank: 100 Posts; Posts: 93; Joined: Sun Mar 15, 2009 9:07 am; Thanked: 7 times

Alex Cake - Manhattan

by ket » Sun Jun 14, 2009 11:30 pm

Normally it takes a week for a cake to become moldy in a refrigerator. The cake in Alex's refrigerator is moldy. Therefore, the cake in Alex's refrigerator must be at least a week old.

Which of the following, if true, strengthens the conclusion?

(A) Alex's refrigerator has not been cleaned in two years

(B) A blown fuse in Alex's building has deprived his refrigerator of electricity for the past five days.

(C)The cake had just been baked when it was placed in Alex's refrigerator; it has remained there ever since.

(D)A recent study demonstrated that 95% of refrigerators currently in use will keep a cake fresh for one week.

(E)The cake was baked on a Tuesday.

Please provide your explanations

I will post OA afterwards.

Quote

Source: Beat The GMAT — Critical Reasoning | Sun Jun 14, 2009 11:30 pm

scoobydooby: Legendary Member; Posts: 1035; Joined: Wed Aug 27, 2008 10:56 pm; Thanked: 104 times; Followed by:1 members

by scoobydooby » Sun Jun 14, 2009 11:54 pm

would go for D

A. doesnt affect argument

B. weakens. cake may have been less than 7 days and got moldy

C. doesnt affect argument. no clue how long cake was in the refridgerator.

D. correct IMO. if cake remains fresh for a week. it must be lying over a week to get moldy. strengthens

E. irrelevant

Quote

schumi_gmat: Master | Next Rank: 500 Posts; Posts: 377; Joined: Wed Sep 03, 2008 9:30 am; Thanked: 15 times; Followed by:2 members

by schumi_gmat » Mon Jun 15, 2009 7:42 am

IMO D

Explanation same as scooby

Quote

vinaynp: Master | Next Rank: 500 Posts; Posts: 154; Joined: Thu Mar 19, 2009 12:55 pm; Thanked: 5 times; Followed by:1 members

by vinaynp » Mon Jun 15, 2009 7:47 am

IMO D). For reasons explained in previous post.

Quote

awesomeusername: Master | Next Rank: 500 Posts; Posts: 226; Joined: Tue Jan 13, 2009 1:27 pm; Thanked: 23 times; Followed by:1 members

by awesomeusername » Mon Jun 15, 2009 8:53 am

I will have to go with (C).

What if the cake were left in the hot sun for 3 days, then shoved in the 'fridge? The it's certainly possible for the cake to have started to form mold after a few days, rather than a week. Statement (C) clears this from being possible. So I believe (C) strengthens the statement.

Constant dripping hollows out a stone.
-Lucretius

Quote

S.A: Newbie | Next Rank: 10 Posts; Posts: 3; Joined: Tue Jun 09, 2009 9:07 am

by S.A » Mon Jun 15, 2009 12:21 pm

It has to be D ( Using POE)

OA please?

Quote

amazonviper: Master | Next Rank: 500 Posts; Posts: 109; Joined: Mon May 04, 2009 8:22 pm; Location: Indy; Thanked: 3 times

Re: Alex Cake - Manhattan

by amazonviper » Mon Jun 15, 2009 12:42 pm

ket wrote:Normally it takes a week for a cake to become moldy in a refrigerator. The cake in Alex's refrigerator is moldy. Therefore, the cake in Alex's refrigerator must be at least a week old.

Which of the following, if true, strengthens the conclusion?

(A) Alex's refrigerator has not been cleaned in two years

(B) A blown fuse in Alex's building has deprived his refrigerator of electricity for the past five days.

(C)The cake had just been baked when it was placed in Alex's refrigerator; it has remained there ever since.

(D)A recent study demonstrated that 95% of refrigerators currently in use will keep a cake fresh for one week.

(E)The cake was baked on a Tuesday.

Please provide your explanations

I will post OA afterwards.

My first shot was C . But on a more thorough note I came up with D for reason explained above. OA please.

__________________________________

Winners never quit..Quitters never win !!

Quote

maverick2000: Newbie | Next Rank: 10 Posts; Posts: 9; Joined: Sun Jul 13, 2008 5:03 am

by maverick2000 » Mon Jun 15, 2009 5:22 pm

I go with C too.

Quote

mehravikas: Legendary Member; Posts: 1161; Joined: Mon May 12, 2008 2:52 am; Location: Sydney; Thanked: 23 times; Followed by:1 members

by mehravikas » Mon Jun 15, 2009 5:34 pm

IMO - D

Quote

ket: Senior | Next Rank: 100 Posts; Posts: 93; Joined: Sun Mar 15, 2009 9:07 am; Thanked: 7 times

by ket » Mon Jun 15, 2009 8:50 pm

Thank you everyone for your posts.

Well, here is the answer OAC and down there see explanation. Look at D - Irrelevant

:) This test is driving me crazy

and I am kind of still not fully understanding C...

(C) CORRECT. Strengthen. If the cake had not been fresh when it was placed in the refrigerator, or if it had not been in the refrigerator continuously since then, it might have gotten moldy in less than a week. Therefore, knowing that the cake was fresh when it was placed in the refrigerator, and that it has been there ever since, gives us reason to think that the cake has been aging in the refrigerator at a normal rate.

(D) Irrelevant. This study only provides evidence to support the initial premise in the argument, namely, that "normally it takes a week for a cake to become moldy in a refrigerator." This answer choice does not state whether or not Alex's refrigerator is among the 95%; nor do we know anything else about this specific situation.