postal service

[ansumania]

pl. discuss.

The postal service is badly mismanaged. Forty years ago, first-class letter delivery cost only three cents. Since then, the price has increased nearly tenfold, with an actual decrease in the speed and reliability of service.
Each of the following statements, if true, would tend to weaken the argument above EXCEPT:


(A) The volume of mail handled by the postal service has increased dramatically over the last forty years.
(B) Unprecedented increases in the cost of fuel for trucks and planes have put severe upward pressures on postal delivery costs.
(C) Private delivery services usually charge more than does the postal service for comparable delivery charges.
(D) The average delivery time for a first-class letter four decades ago was actually slightly longer than it is today.
(E) The average level of consumer prices overall has increased more than 300 percent over the last forty years.


regards,

Ansumania

[gmatmachoman]

pl. discuss.

The postal service is badly mismanaged. Forty years ago, first-class letter delivery cost only three cents. Since then, the price has increased nearly tenfold, with an actual decrease in the speed and reliability of service.
Each of the following statements, if true, would tend to weaken the argument above EXCEPT:


(A) The volume of mail handled by the postal service has increased dramatically over the last forty years.
(B) Unprecedented increases in the cost of fuel for trucks and planes have put severe upward pressures on postal delivery costs.
(C) Private delivery services usually charge more than does the postal service for comparable delivery charges.
(D) The average delivery time for a first-class letter four decades ago was actually slightly longer than it is today.
(E) The average level of consumer prices overall has increased more than 300 percent over the last forty years.


regards,

Ansumania

Plz post this one in CR section. COming to ur query,we need to identify the option which weakens the stmt. The author contends that service/efficiency has come down. Now to weaken that we have to identify resaons that "Efficiency hasNOT really come down".

Generally, vertical scan of options need to be done to "intercept" the right one .

Apart from C, all other options weakens the author's claim in one way or the other.

Pick C

[pops]

I would pick B
question says that 40 years ago and now price is nearly 10 times... and hence it is said that postal service is badly managed..
however the rise in price is because of the rise in fuel cost and not because of bad managing !

[November Rain]

Hi,

IMO E.

The consumer prices increased 300 percent, while the prices of postal services increased more than that. Therefore, it does not weaken the critic.

What's the OA?

[neonite]

IMO C, since the remaining 4 options clearly weaken the conclusion.

(C) option is irrelevant to any argument point.

OA please?