The increase in taxes on cigarettes next month_kaplan

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conquistador: Master | Next Rank: 500 Posts; Posts: 266; Joined: Fri Sep 19, 2014 4:00 amFollowed by: 1 member; Thanked: 4 times

by conquistador » Sat Oct 17, 2015 9:34 pm

The increase in taxes on cigarettes next month will not limit the use of addictive tobacco products to the extent that health advocates hope. Many cigarette smokers will shift their spending to cigars and chewing tobacco when the law takes effect.

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

A. Cigars and chewing tobacco can satisfy the nicotine cravings of most cigarette smokers.
B. The taste, smell, and texture of cigars and chewing tobacco are sufficiently different from those of cigarettes to deter cigarette smokers from using them.
C. Many health advocates themselves use tobacco products.
D. The government might also impose significant taxes on cigars and chewing tobacco over the course of two years.
E. Cigars and chewing tobacco are often more expensive than cigarettes.

Source: Beat The GMAT — Critical Reasoning | Sat Oct 17, 2015 9:34 pm

viraat tiwari: Newbie | Next Rank: 10 Posts; Posts: 1; Joined: Tue Sep 01, 2015 5:00 am

by viraat tiwari » Sun Oct 18, 2015 2:48 am

As we can see that the question does not have premises but only predictions.So in order to weaken the argument we need to weaken the prediction.

A)This strongly supports the prediction.

B)This seems to go against the prediction made by the health advocates as they expect cigarette smokers to switch to other tobacco products.

C)This is irrelevant to the argument

D)We need to work in the present time frame and this option discusses the issues after two years whose outcome cannot be predicted now.

E)The increased prices of cigarettes may be exceeding the present value of cigars and chewing tobacco.So still a doubt.

Expert comments needed on my thought process.I am preparing for GMAT and it would be great if you can discuss the validity of my explanations..

mindful: Senior | Next Rank: 100 Posts; Posts: 52; Joined: Wed Jun 24, 2015 10:57 pmFollowed by: 1 member; Thanked: 3 times

by mindful » Tue Oct 20, 2015 5:20 am

I think the right answer is E. If the cigars and tobacco are more expensive than cigarettes, then customers will find it difficult to "shift" so easily as the conclusion claims will be the case.

DavidG@VeritasPrep: Legendary Member; Posts: 2663; Joined: Wed Jan 14, 2015 8:25 amFollowed by: 128 members; Location: Boston, MA; Thanked: 1153 times; GMAT Score:770

by DavidG@VeritasPrep » Tue Oct 20, 2015 5:48 am

Mechmeera wrote:The increase in taxes on cigarettes next month will not limit the use of addictive tobacco products to the extent that health advocates hope. Many cigarette smokers will shift their spending to cigars and chewing tobacco when the law takes effect.

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

A. Cigars and chewing tobacco can satisfy the nicotine cravings of most cigarette smokers.
B. The taste, smell, and texture of cigars and chewing tobacco are sufficiently different from those of cigarettes to deter cigarette smokers from using them.
C. Many health advocates themselves use tobacco products.
D. The government might also impose significant taxes on cigars and chewing tobacco over the course of two years.
E. Cigars and chewing tobacco are often more expensive than cigarettes.

The conclusion: after the tax, cigarette smokers will switch to cigars and chewing tobacco. The assumption here is that different tobacco products are interchangeable - a cigar can be substituted for a cigarette without any diminishment in the tobacco-user's enjoyment of the experience, so he'll simply use whatever is cheapest.

Look at answer choice B If cigarette smokers wouldn't enjoy the experience of smoking cigars or chewing tobacco, there's no reason to believe that they'll switch to these products in the event of a cigarette tax.

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manik11: Master | Next Rank: 500 Posts; Posts: 113; Joined: Wed Dec 07, 2011 7:20 am; Thanked: 3 times

by manik11 » Wed Oct 21, 2015 4:22 am

DavidG@VeritasPrep wrote:
Mechmeera wrote:The increase in taxes on cigarettes next month will not limit the use of addictive tobacco products to the extent that health advocates hope. Many cigarette smokers will shift their spending to cigars and chewing tobacco when the law takes effect.

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

A. Cigars and chewing tobacco can satisfy the nicotine cravings of most cigarette smokers.
B. The taste, smell, and texture of cigars and chewing tobacco are sufficiently different from those of cigarettes to deter cigarette smokers from using them.
C. Many health advocates themselves use tobacco products.
D. The government might also impose significant taxes on cigars and chewing tobacco over the course of two years.
E. Cigars and chewing tobacco are often more expensive than cigarettes.
The conclusion: after the tax, cigarette smokers will switch to cigars and chewing tobacco. The assumption here is that different tobacco products are interchangeable - a cigar can be substituted for a cigarette without any diminishment in the tobacco-user's enjoyment of the experience, so he'll simply use whatever is cheapest.

Look at answer choice B If cigarette smokers wouldn't enjoy the experience of smoking cigars or chewing tobacco, there's no reason to believe that they'll switch to these products in the event of a cigarette tax.

Hi Dave,
I eliminated E on the grounds that if Raising taxes on cigarettes increases the price of a cigarette and if cigar and chewing tobacco are more expensive than cigarette then a smoker would rather buy a cigarette than buy a cigar or chewing tobacco that would cost him almost the same or even more.

Is my reasoning correct?

Thanks
Manik

DavidG@VeritasPrep: Legendary Member; Posts: 2663; Joined: Wed Jan 14, 2015 8:25 amFollowed by: 128 members; Location: Boston, MA; Thanked: 1153 times; GMAT Score:770

by DavidG@VeritasPrep » Thu Oct 22, 2015 5:49 am

manik11 wrote: Hi Dave,
I eliminated E on the grounds that if Raising taxes on cigarettes increases the price of a cigarette and if cigar and chewing tobacco are more expensive than cigarette then a smoker would rather buy a cigarette than buy a cigar or chewing tobacco that would cost him almost the same or even more.

Is my reasoning correct?

Thanks
Manik

Part of the problem with E is that it's incredibly non-specific. So cigars and chewing tobacco are often more expensive than cigarettes. Will that still be true after the new tax on cigarettes is applied? Perhaps, and if so, your reasoning seems valid. But even if the tax on cigarettes makes the total cost of cigarettes greater than the total cost of cigar and chewing tobacco, we don't know how much greater, and we don't know whether this increased cost will be enough to induce smokers to switch from one product to another. Any way you interpret E, it's not a good weakener.

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