Jennifer: Video rental outlets in Centerville together handled 10,000 fewer video rentals in 1994 than in 1993. The decline in rentals was probably due almost entirely to the February 1994 opening of Videorama, the first and only video rental outlet in the area that, in addition to renting videos, also sold them cheaply. Brad: There must be another explanation: as you yourself said, the decline was on the order of 10,000 rentals. Yet Videorama sold only 4,000 videos in 1994. Which of the following, if true, would most seriously weaken the force of the objection that Brad presents to Jennifer's explanation?
A. In 1994 Videorama rented out more videos than it sold.
B. In 1994 two new outlets that rent but that do not sell videos opened in Centerville.
C. Most of the video rental outlets in Centerville rent videos at a discount on certain nights of the week.
D. People often buy videos of movies that they have previously seen in a theater.
E. People who own videos frequently loan them to their friends.
OA is E, but I felt A is also very near to OA. Could some one explain this?
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Weaken : Is there any twist here?
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krishnapavan
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But giving videos for loan can also happen before 1994. I think it does not explain why the decline was particularly in 1994.
A explains it.
A explains it.
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Hi race2mba,
This CR question has a subtle aspect to it, and I would suspect that many people would choose answer choice A. To spot the correct answer, here's what you'll need to focus on...
Jen says that Videorama likely caused all the other video rental outlets to handle 10,000 fewer video rentals. She also notes that Videorama is the only store that sells videos.
Brad says that since Videorama sold ONLY 4,000 videos, and that number is not enough to explain the 10,000 fewer video rentals at the other stores.
The question asks us how to WEAKEN Brad's argument. So, we have find an answer that goes AGAINST Brad's logic and evidence. We need an answer that tells us that the 4,000 SOLD videos had a greater impact than Brad says they did.
You can quickly narrow it down to A and E, but you have to go the extra step and find an answer that tells us that the SOLD VIDEOS caused the 10,000 rental decline. Answer A focuses on the rented videos, which is NOT what we're looking for. Answer E gives us a reason WHY the sold videos could affect the rentals in a big way (people FREQUENTLY loan out the videos that they own - the word "frequently" is the key - the implication is that LOTS of people are borrowing videos from their friends instead of renting them, so 4,000 sold videos would affect MORE than 4,000 rentals, LOTS more).
Final Answer is as written.
GMAT assassins aren't born, they're made,
Rich
This CR question has a subtle aspect to it, and I would suspect that many people would choose answer choice A. To spot the correct answer, here's what you'll need to focus on...
Jen says that Videorama likely caused all the other video rental outlets to handle 10,000 fewer video rentals. She also notes that Videorama is the only store that sells videos.
Brad says that since Videorama sold ONLY 4,000 videos, and that number is not enough to explain the 10,000 fewer video rentals at the other stores.
The question asks us how to WEAKEN Brad's argument. So, we have find an answer that goes AGAINST Brad's logic and evidence. We need an answer that tells us that the 4,000 SOLD videos had a greater impact than Brad says they did.
You can quickly narrow it down to A and E, but you have to go the extra step and find an answer that tells us that the SOLD VIDEOS caused the 10,000 rental decline. Answer A focuses on the rented videos, which is NOT what we're looking for. Answer E gives us a reason WHY the sold videos could affect the rentals in a big way (people FREQUENTLY loan out the videos that they own - the word "frequently" is the key - the implication is that LOTS of people are borrowing videos from their friends instead of renting them, so 4,000 sold videos would affect MORE than 4,000 rentals, LOTS more).
Final Answer is as written.
GMAT assassins aren't born, they're made,
Rich
