The sense

This topic has expert replies
Legendary Member
Posts: 809
Joined: Wed Mar 24, 2010 10:10 pm
Thanked: 50 times
Followed by:4 members

The sense

by akhpad » Mon Jul 05, 2010 10:31 pm
The sense of delayed gratification, of working now for later pleasure, has helped shape the economic behavior of our society. However, that sense is no longer nurtured as consistently in our children as it once was. For example, it used to take a bit of patience to put together the toys that children got the cereal boxes; now the toys come from the boxes whole.

Which of the following is an assumption made by the argument?

A. The toys in cereal boxes have changed partly because the economic conditions of our society have improved.
B. The influence of promotion gimmicks on the economic behavior of our society has increased over the years.
C. The toys that used to come in cereal boxes were put together by the same children who played with them.
D. Part of the pleasure of any toy lies in putting the toy together before playing with it.
E. Today's children do not expect a single toy to provide pleasure for a long period of time

OA: C
Last edited by akhpad on Tue Jul 06, 2010 3:40 am, edited 1 time in total.
Source: — Critical Reasoning |

User avatar
Legendary Member
Posts: 1309
Joined: Wed Mar 17, 2010 11:41 pm
Thanked: 33 times
Followed by:5 members

by pradeepkaushal9518 » Mon Jul 05, 2010 10:55 pm
imo B

User avatar
Legendary Member
Posts: 535
Joined: Fri Jun 08, 2007 2:12 am
Thanked: 87 times
Followed by:5 members
GMAT Score:730

by hardik.jadeja » Mon Jul 05, 2010 11:37 pm
Pick C.

If you negate option C, the argument falls apart.

If the toys that used to come in cereal boxes were put together by someone else, not by the children, then it's wrong to judge based on cereal box toys that sense of delayed gratification is no longer nurtured as consistently in our children as it once was.

Hope that helps..

User avatar
Legendary Member
Posts: 758
Joined: Sat Aug 29, 2009 9:32 pm
Location: Bangalore,India
Thanked: 67 times
Followed by:2 members

by sumanr84 » Tue Jul 06, 2010 2:08 am
I am on to C and D. Not able to discard either of them.

@hardik - I understood your point, but would you help in understanding why it can't be D..thanks
I am on a break !!

User avatar
Legendary Member
Posts: 1893
Joined: Sun May 30, 2010 11:48 pm
Thanked: 215 times
Followed by:7 members

by kvcpk » Tue Jul 06, 2010 2:49 am
sumanr84 wrote:I am on to C and D. Not able to discard either of them.

@hardik - I understood your point, but would you help in understanding why it can't be D..thanks
Hi Suman,

Let me try to explain this:

D says - Part of the pleasure of any toy lies in putting the toy together before playing with it.

This is actually contradicting the premise in the passage.

One of the premises in the passage states - "of working now for later pleasure"
This means to say that if you work in putting the toy together, you can enjoy the pleasure of playing with it later.

Hence D can be ruled out.

Hope this helps!!

User avatar
Legendary Member
Posts: 758
Joined: Sat Aug 29, 2009 9:32 pm
Location: Bangalore,India
Thanked: 67 times
Followed by:2 members

by sumanr84 » Tue Jul 06, 2010 3:29 am
Thanks kvcpk..
So, as I understood, your point is that since putting the toy together is a part of joy so it contradicts the point of premise that says that work now and pleasure later. Such deep would be meaning I never expected..

I will put it algebraically for others to understand,

Premise : Working now ( NO pleasure) --> Pleasure Later

D Says : Putting Toy together ( Gives Pleasure ) --> Pleasure Later


Thus, the BOLD part in D is conflicting with the premise.

HTH.
I am on a break !!

User avatar
Legendary Member
Posts: 1893
Joined: Sun May 30, 2010 11:48 pm
Thanked: 215 times
Followed by:7 members

by kvcpk » Tue Jul 06, 2010 3:37 am
sumanr84 wrote:Thanks kvcpk..
So, as I understood, your point is that since putting the toy together is a part of joy so it contradicts the point of premise that says that work now and pleasure later. Such deep would be meaning I never expected..

I will put it algebraically for others to understand,

Premise : Working now ( NO pleasure) --> Pleasure Later

D Says : Putting Toy together ( Gives Pleasure ) --> Pleasure Later


Thus, the BOLD part in D is conflicting with the premise.

HTH.
You got it right :)

User avatar
Legendary Member
Posts: 758
Joined: Sat Aug 29, 2009 9:32 pm
Location: Bangalore,India
Thanked: 67 times
Followed by:2 members

by sumanr84 » Tue Jul 06, 2010 3:57 am
kvcpk wrote:
You got it right :)
Thanks to you..:)
I am on a break !!