Violent Crime Rate

Expert replies

vineetbatra: Master | Next Rank: 500 Posts; Posts: 355; Joined: Thu Feb 19, 2009 12:42 pmFollowed by: 1 member; Thanked: 2 times

by vineetbatra » Wed Oct 21, 2009 7:34 am

I will post the OA later.

The violent crime rate (number of violent crimes per 1,000 residents) in Meadowbrook is 60 percent higher now than it was four years ago. The corresponding increase for Parkdale is only 10 percent. These figures support the conclusion that residents of Meadowbrook are more likely to become victims of violent crime than are residents of Parkdale.

The argument above is flawed because it fails to take into account

A. changes in the population density of both Parkdale and Meadowbrook over the past four years
B. how the rate of population growth in Meadowbrook over the past four years compares to the corresponding rate for Parkdale
C. the ratio of violent to nonviolent crimes committed during the past four years in Meadowbrook and Parkdale
D. the violent crime rates in Meadowbrook and Parkdale four years ago
E. how Meadowbrook's expenditures for crime prevention over the past four years compare to Parkdale's expenditures

Source: Beat The GMAT — Critical Reasoning | Wed Oct 21, 2009 7:34 am

pandeyvineet24: Legendary Member; Posts: 527; Joined: Mon Jun 02, 2008 9:14 am; Location: Atlanta; Thanked: 17 times

by pandeyvineet24 » Wed Oct 21, 2009 10:52 am

D for me.

vineetbatra: Master | Next Rank: 500 Posts; Posts: 355; Joined: Thu Feb 19, 2009 12:42 pmFollowed by: 1 member; Thanked: 2 times

by vineetbatra » Wed Oct 21, 2009 12:54 pm

Can you please explain why D?

Ludacrispat26: Master | Next Rank: 500 Posts; Posts: 113; Joined: Sat Oct 17, 2009 10:51 am; Thanked: 10 times; GMAT Score:690

by Ludacrispat26 » Wed Oct 21, 2009 1:56 pm

IMO the answer is D because what we are trying to do is find a reason why the conclusion may be flawed. The conclusion is:

These figures support the conclusion that residents of Meadowbrook are more likely to become victims of violent crime than are residents of Parkdale.

Even thought Meadowbrook has increased at a rate 6 times that of Parkdale over the past four years, what we don't know is their current rates.

For example, let's say four years ago that Meadowbrook had a rate of 100, and Parkdale had a rate of 1000.

Meadowbrook is now at 160, while Parkdale is now at 1100. Clearly the conclusion is now invalid.

Ans is D

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 9:42 pm

Ludacrispat26's solution is very good, and this is another very good example of how GMAT likes to test quant skills in the verbal (GMAT also likes to test verbal skills in quant).

delhiboy1979: Master | Next Rank: 500 Posts; Posts: 239; Joined: Wed Feb 11, 2009 2:50 am

by delhiboy1979 » Thu Oct 22, 2009 12:15 am

Is the OA D? I thought it should be B

vineetbatra: Master | Next Rank: 500 Posts; Posts: 355; Joined: Thu Feb 19, 2009 12:42 pmFollowed by: 1 member; Thanked: 2 times

by vineetbatra » Thu Oct 22, 2009 8:26 am

Ludacrispat26 wrote: Even thought Meadowbrook has increased at a rate 6 times that of Parkdale over the past four years, what we don't know is their current rates.

Ans is D

That is good explanation and OA is D.

uptowngirl92: Master | Next Rank: 500 Posts; Posts: 447; Joined: Sun Apr 19, 2009 9:08 pm; Location: Kolkata,India; Thanked: 7 times; GMAT Score:670

by uptowngirl92 » Fri Oct 30, 2009 5:46 am

Hey guys..agreed D is the answer..can somebody please give me examples of A,B and C?I was a bit confused.....

2010gmat: Master | Next Rank: 500 Posts; Posts: 371; Joined: Fri Mar 06, 2009 2:48 am; Thanked: 27 times; GMAT Score:740

by 2010gmat » Fri Oct 30, 2009 10:13 am

great explanation above....

how to solve such questions faster??

i was stuck between B and D and used numbers to get rid off B....but i know that during the exam under time pressure i would screw up...

I tried to support B because i thought that P might have had a population blast and that resulted in crime rate growth nos lower than those of town M....

but after pluggin in the nos. i realised that the final conclusion will depend on the base nos...

ssgmatter: Legendary Member; Posts: 549; Joined: Wed Jan 06, 2010 7:00 amFollowed by: 3 members; Thanked: 16 times

by ssgmatter » Thu May 20, 2010 7:48 am

although D for sure makes sense here but can any one touch on the option B why it is wrong here?....

Thanks!

Best-
Amit

ThiMBA: Newbie | Next Rank: 10 Posts; Posts: 7; Joined: Tue Jan 19, 2010 1:13 pm; Thanked: 1 times

by ThiMBA » Thu May 20, 2010 10:15 am

How I approached it

Meadowbrook 2006

10 crimes/1000 residents

Meadownbrook 2010

16 crimes/1000 residends

Parkdale 2006

10 crimes/1000 residents

Parkdale 2010

11 crimes/1000 residents

In this instance, you can see that the crime rate in Parkdale is clearly lower now in comparison to Meadowbrook which supports the conclusion

Since we do not the crime rate figures of 4 years ago, we can also assume that Parkdale's 2006 figures could've been something like 100/1,000. IN that case, its 2010 crime rate would be 160/1,000 which would indicate the opposite of the conclusion - hence D is the correct answer

kevincanspain: GMAT Instructor; Posts: 613; Joined: Thu Mar 22, 2007 6:17 amFollowed by: 64 members; Location: madrid; Thanked: 171 times; GMAT Score:790

by kevincanspain » Thu May 20, 2010 2:17 pm

vineetbatra wrote:I will post the OA later.

The violent crime rate (number of violent crimes per 1,000 residents) in Meadowbrook is 60 percent higher now than it was four years ago. The corresponding increase for Parkdale is only 10 percent. These figures support the conclusion that residents of Meadowbrook are more likely to become victims of violent crime than are residents of Parkdale.

The argument above is flawed because it fails to take into account

A. changes in the population density of both Parkdale and Meadowbrook over the past four years
B. how the rate of population growth in Meadowbrook over the past four years compares to the corresponding rate for Parkdale
C. the ratio of violent to nonviolent crimes committed during the past four years in Meadowbrook and Parkdale
D. the violent crime rates in Meadowbrook and Parkdale four years ago
E. how Meadowbrook's expenditures for crime prevention over the past four years compare to Parkdale's expenditures

B is not the flaw, since the argument uses as evidence the number of violent crimes per 1,000 residents, not the total number of crimes

Kevin Armstrong
GMAT Instructor
Gmatclasses
Madrid

GMAT Course Reviews

563 reviews

1168 reviews

431 reviews

359 reviews

147 reviews

5/5

5 Star (563 Reviews)

"Target Test Prep is the closest to the official version of the GMAT exam, about 99% accuracy in terms of the quality and quantity of information. The course has excellently created singular sets of focused lessons and tests for every possible topic that one could come across in the official GMAT exam."

"The TTP course maximizes the efficiency of the time you spend studying. It will take time and effort but I could almost guarantee that if you complete the course exactly as it is laid out you will get an amazing score. They also have a very responsive team willing to help with any questions you might have."

"TTP has two things that I think no other test prep company offers: A teaching approach that reinforces understanding and an attitude that will give you the mental preparedness needed to succeed on the test. TTP gives you a deep understanding of the concept you need to know while teaching you how to think."

Write a Review