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by h_jitendras » Mon Jun 21, 2010 11:24 pm
Radio stations with radio data system (RDS) technology broadcast special program information that only radios with an RDS feature can receive. Between 1994 and 1996, the number of RDS radio stations in Verdland increased from 250 to 600. However, since the number of RDS-equipped radios in Verdland was about the same in 1996 as in 1994, the number of Verdlanders receiving the special program information probably did not increase significantly.

Which of the following is an assumption on which the argument depends?

1)In 1996 most Verdlanders who lived within the listening area of an RDS station already had a radio equipped to receive RDS.
2)Equipping a radio station with RDS technology does not decrease the station's listening area.
3)Few if any of the RDS radio stations that began broadcasting in Verdland after 1994 broadcast to people with RDS-equipped radios living in areas not previously reached by RDS stations.
4)In 1996 Verdlanders who did not own radios equipped to receive RDS could not receive any programming from the RDS radio stations that began broadcasting in Verdland after 1994.
5)The RDS radio stations in Verdland in 1996 did not all offer the same type of programming.

OA after some brain-storming....
Source: — Critical Reasoning |

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by kvcpk » Tue Jun 22, 2010 1:14 am
IMO C

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by h_jitendras » Tue Jun 22, 2010 7:41 am
Can you please explain your line of reasoning here?

kvcpk wrote:IMO C

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by kevincanspain » Tue Jun 22, 2010 8:24 am
If someone doesn't receive the special program information, it may be because he lacks a specially-equipped radio or because he lives somewhere not within the range of stations broadcasting this information. Thus C must be true for the conclusion of the argument to be valid: if lots of people had these special radios but live in areas only recently served by a RDS station, it is quite likely that the number of people receiving RDS has increased significantly
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by h_jitendras » Tue Jun 22, 2010 8:46 am
OA is C
I couldnt quite understand what is wrong with option (A) or for that matter with option (B)?

kevincanspain wrote:If someone doesn't receive the special program information, it may be because he lacks a specially-equipped radio or because he lives somewhere not within the range of stations broadcasting this information. Thus C must be true for the conclusion of the argument to be valid: if lots of people had these special radios but live in areas only recently served by a RDS station, it is quite likely that the number of people receiving RDS has increased significantly

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by Patrick_GMATFix » Tue Jun 22, 2010 12:44 pm
To receive the special information, you need an RDS station and an RDS radio. The passage argues that because the # of RDS radios is the same, the number of people receiving the info has not increased even though there are many more RDS stations.

This assumes everyone who had RDS radios in '94 was actually receiving RDS data. It could well be that although some people had RDS radios, they did not receive the data because there were no RDS station serving their area. If this were the case, now that there are new RDS stations, the number of people receiving the data will increase even though there are no new RDS radios.

(3) is correct because it points to this assumption: the new RDS stations do not cover previously under-served areas. If we negate this assumption and say that the new RDS station are broadcasting to people who have had RDS radios for a while but had no RDS coverage, it would destroy the argument that the # of people receiving RDS has not increase.

Negating the (3) damages the argument, so (3) is the assumption (the correct answer)

More detailed analysis of each answer can be found at GMATPrep Question 2380. To practice similar questions in timed drills, set the Drill Generator to topic='CR Assumptions' and difficulty='700+'

Hope that helped,
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