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Another difficult one

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by gmat009 » Wed Sep 24, 2008 8:27 am
Industrialists from the country Distopia were accused of promoting the Distopian intervention in the Arcadian civil war merely to insure that the industrialists’ facilities in Arcadia made substantial profits during the war. Yet this cannot be the motive since, as the Distopians foresaw, Distopia’s federal expenses for the intervention were eight billion dollars, whereas, during the war, profits from the Distopian industrialists’ facilities in Arcadia totaled only four billion dollars.
Which of the following, if true, exposes a serious flaw in the argument made in the second sentence above?
(A) During the Arcadian war, many Distopian industrialists with facilities located in Arcadia experienced a significant rise in productivity in their facilities located in Distopia.
(B) The largest proportion of Distopia’s federal expenses is borne by those who receive no significant industrial profits.
(C) Most Distopian industrialists’ facilities located in Arcadia are expected to maintain the level of profits they achieved during the war.
(D) Distopian industrialists’ facilities in Arcadia made substantial profits before the events that triggered the civil war.
(E) Many Distopians expressed concern over the suffering that Arcadians underwent during the civil war.
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Source: — Critical Reasoning |

by gmat009 » Wed Sep 24, 2008 10:41 am
Can someone explain this
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by banker1 » Wed Sep 24, 2008 11:29 am
IMO: B

Will explain if correct. What is the OA?
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by gmat009 » Wed Sep 24, 2008 11:32 am
Yes this is correct. Can you plz. explain
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by banker1 » Wed Sep 24, 2008 11:52 am
Here goes:

Distopian industrialists are being accused of promoting an intervention for their benefit. The conclusion says that they weren't promoting an intervention because they actually lost more money ($8B) than they brought in ($4B).

We want to weaken the conclusion and can do so by showing the $8B expense had little impact on the Distopian industrialists.

(A) is out of scope, it talks about productivity and the passage is about income/ expense as a result of the intervension

(C) is out of scope, it about maintaining profits achieved during the war. Again, the passage is about income/ expense as a result of the intervention

(D) is out of scope, the passage doesn't reference profits made before the civil war. The passage is about income/ expense as a result of the intervention

(E) is out of scope, it introduces another concept, the suffering of the Arcadians, which does not relate to the income/ expense associated with the intervention.

(B) is the answer. It shows that of the $8B in expense realized from the intervention, the largest proportion was the result of people who receive no benefit from industrial profits.

Does that help?
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by peter.p.81 » Wed May 11, 2016 2:59 am
The official answer is B. But I don't understand why? Can anyone explai
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