Critical Reasoning

39. The imposition of quotas limiting imported steel will not help the big American steel mills. In fact, the quotas will help "mini-mills" flourish in the United States. Those small domestic mills will take more business from the big American steel mills than would have been taken by the foreign steel mills in the absence of quotas. Which of the following, if true, would cast the most serious doubt on the claim made in the last sentence above?
A. Quality rather than price is a major factor in determining the type of steel to be used for a particular application.
B. Foreign steel mills have long produced grades of steel comparable in quality to the steel produced by the big American mills.
C. American quotas on imported goods have often induced other countries to impose similar quotas on American goods.
D. Domestic "mini-mills" consistently produce better grades of steel than do the big American mills.
E. Domestic "mini-mills" produce low-volume, specialized types of steel that are not produced by the big American steel mills.

The OA is E. But then, in my opinion E supports the last line because, if the steel manufactured by small bills are unique, then the big mills will certain take the unique steel from the small mills.

Please help.

Hi Praveen,
Your reasoning is flawed here.

Let's consider, You have a ball pen and you need to refill it.
What would you choose:
A) An ink of type that is of same type of ink your pen uses.
B) An ink of type that is different from type of ink your pen uses. Although it is unique, but of no use to you. Also quality is low.

Hope it helps.

MakeUrTimeCount wrote:Hi Praveen,
Your reasoning is flawed here.

Let's consider, You have a ball pen and you need to refill it.
What would you choose:
A) An ink of type that is of same type of ink your pen uses.
B) An ink of type that is different from type of ink your pen uses. Although it is unique, but of no use to you. Also quality is low.

Hope it helps.

I don't know that the quality enters into the argument. Here, since the argument is "small mills can take big mills' business" we can weaken it by saying they are simply in different markets. They make different products and thus cannot take their customers.

Thanks

The OA doesnt look very convincing.

Some expert please help.

Thanks.

mankey wrote:The OA doesnt look very convincing.

Some expert please help.

Thanks.

We are specifically directed to the claim in the last line: that small steel mills will take business from the large ones. If they make a different product (choice E), that will not happen.

Thanks! Now the OA seems to be understood, Jim@Grockit!!!