CR Inference Question

[gauravgundal]

Source : GMAT hack

Neither extensive experience in a field nor access to exhaustive industry data by itself,establishes an executive's ability to make appropriate decisions. Both are required simultaneously since experience can blind one to logical conclusions drawn from data, and exhaustive data is almost always , by definition, a way of measuring past trends that may or may not continue.

If the facts stated in the passage above are true ,a proper test of an executive's ability to make appropriate decisions is its ability to
A. use knowledge gained from experience to determine which trends are likely to continue.
B. Use knowledge gained from experience to direct data-collective efforts
C. amass data that competitors are not collecting so that knowledge gained from experience can be set aside .
D. Establish technical infrastructure to collect data that supports the conclusions drawn from extensive experience.
E. hire middle managers who can maintain the appropriate balance between experience-based and data-based decision-making.

Please let me know what is the correct answer and why is it correct,along with justification.

[kheba]

The answer is A. D and E can be easily knocked off since they are out of scope. The passage doesn't talk anything about the competitors, hence C can be ignored too. The important factor is "may or may not continue". How does one executive analyse the data... by using his past experience to read/analyse relevant data.

What's the OA by the way?

[Jim@StratusPrep]

You are looking for an answer that connects data and experience in the decision making process.

A is the only answer that does this.

B is data alone
C ignores experience
D goes into an idea of information bias, but the idea is that you want unbiased information
E off topic.

Hope this helps.