Since 1995, Congress

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Since 1995, Congress

by akhpad » Tue Jun 29, 2010 10:04 am
Source: MGMAT

Since 1995, Congress has exempted oil companies that have leases issued by the federal government allowing them to drill for deep-water oil off the Gulf of Mexico from royalty payments as an incentive to spur development in times of low oil and gas prices. These leases were supposed to have included a provision that reinstates the royalties should the market prices of oil and gas exceed a certain level. Because of an error by the federal government, however, the language that reinstates the royalties is missing from the more than 1,100 leases issued by the U.S. government in 1998 and 1999. Since the market price of oil and gas has recently risen far above the threshold levels, this error could allow the oil companies to reap a windfall of more than $10 billion through the life of the leases. In response, the government is pressuring the oil companies to renegotiate the leases. The executives of the oil companies strongly oppose renegotiation; all have issued statements stating that they expect the government to honor the terms of the contracts and that renegotiating a duly signed agreement would set a bad precedent.

Which of the following statements best reflects the position of the oil company executives?

A: Opportunity seldom knocks twice.
B: Do unto others as you would have done unto you.
C: One man's loss is another man's gain.
D: You don't change the rules in the middle of the game.
E: Revenge is so sweet.

OA: D

What type of this CR is?
Source: — Critical Reasoning |

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by ru2008 » Tue Jun 29, 2010 10:10 am
I think the right answer is D. The oil companies don't want to change the contract because the 'flaws' in it are in the company's favor.

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by grockit_andrea » Tue Jun 29, 2010 10:12 am
This is a simplified version of what is called a "Principle" question on the LSAT. They're not that common on the GMAT; the main thing to keep in mind if you see one is that a principle should be treated as a guideline or rule that is broad enough to cover the entire situation. Note what is happening in the stimulus, then look for a principle that explains or justifies the situation.
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by outreach » Tue Jun 29, 2010 10:16 am
looks like a inference Q
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by gmatmachoman » Wed Jun 30, 2010 9:51 am
grockit_andrea wrote:This is a simplified version of what is called a "Principle" question on the LSAT. They're not that common on the GMAT; the main thing to keep in mind if you see one is that a principle should be treated as a guideline or rule that is broad enough to cover the entire situation. Note what is happening in the stimulus, then look for a principle that explains or justifies the situation.
@Prasad bhai,

TestLuv strongly suggested GMAC seldom tests this pattern....

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by reply2spg » Fri Jul 23, 2010 8:20 pm
I don't think it is an inference Q. I think it is 'main point of the passage' question.

Indeed answer is D.
outreach wrote:looks like a inference Q
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