Critical Reasoning

Sure Enough Insurance is a large insurance company that has recently been dealing with financial difficulties. Whenever a policy-holder makes a claim, a claims coordinator determines the amount of money Sure Enough Insurance is obligated to pay. The aforementioned financial difficulties are forcing Sure Enough Insurance to fire 25% of its claim coordinators. To ensure Sure Enough Insurance's ability to handle claims within a reasonable time period, consultants recommend that Sure Enough Insurance lay off those coordinators who now take the longest time, on average, to complete work on their assigned claims.

In the argument given, the two portions in boldface play which of the following roles?


A. The first is a claim whose accuracy is an issue in the argument; the second is a conclusion drawn from that claim.

B. The first is evidence that challenges the argument's conclusion; the second is that conclusion.

C. The first is evidence that favors an explanation the argument challenges; the second is that explanation.

D. The first is part of the evidence presented in the argument; the second is the argument's conclusion.

E. The first is the argument's conclusion; the second is the evidence on which this conclusion is based.

OA D

Source: Economist Gmat