Town S vs. Town T

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joyseychow: Master | Next Rank: 500 Posts; Posts: 125; Joined: Mon Dec 15, 2008 9:24 pm

by joyseychow » Wed Oct 21, 2009 6:12 am

A greater number of newspapers are sold in Town S than in Town T. Therefore, the citizens of Town S are better informed about major world events than are the citizens of Town T.
Each of the following, if true, weakens the conclusion above EXCEPT:
(A) Town S has a larger population than Town T.
(B) Most citizens of Town T work in Town S and buy their newspapers there.
(C) The average citizen of Town S spends less time reading newspapers than does the average citizen of Town T.
(D) A weekly newspaper restricted to the coverage of local events is published in Town S.
(E) The average newsstand price of newspapers sold in Town S is lower than the average price of newspapers sold in Town T.

I'm torn between A and E. Both could be the answer.

Source: Beat The GMAT — Critical Reasoning | Wed Oct 21, 2009 6:12 am

ayushr: Junior | Next Rank: 30 Posts; Posts: 19; Joined: Thu Jun 12, 2008 12:28 am; Thanked: 3 times

by ayushr » Wed Oct 21, 2009 10:04 am

B,C and D are out ..

BTW A and E -
(A) Town S has a larger population than Town T(It just talks about the population, not about the newspaper sales and its readers. So it has no impact on conclusion)

(E) The average newsstand price of newspapers sold in Town S is lower than the average price of newspapers sold in Town T.( since the price is lesser in S , more people buy newspaper in S and thus are better informed ..this strengthens the conclusion and is the right answer)

hope it helps !!

Testluv: GMAT Instructor; Posts: 1302; Joined: Mon Oct 19, 2009 2:13 pmFollowed by: 164 members; Location: Toronto; Thanked: 539 times; GMAT Score:800

by Testluv » Wed Oct 21, 2009 9:52 pm

Hi joyseychow,

The asnwer must be E.

The argument is that because there are more newspapers sold in one town, the residents of that town are better informed about world events. The actual price of the newspaper is irrelevant to this claim: even if the reason fewer newspapers are sold in Town T is that they cost more, it does not weaken the conclusion that Town T's residents are not as well informed about the world as those of Town S.

A, on the other hand, does weaken because it points to an alternative explanation for why so many newspapers are sold in Town S (it's not that they are better informed, it is just that there are more of them). And, if this alternative explanation is correct, it casts doubt on the explanation (conclusion) offered in the passage. Hence, after reading choice A, you should find the conclusion less convincing than you did prior to your knowledge of choice A.

james33: Master | Next Rank: 500 Posts; Posts: 200; Joined: Sat Aug 22, 2015 10:27 am

by james33 » Sun May 15, 2016 9:57 pm

I believe the answer should be E

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