As a large corporation in a small country, Hachnut wants its managers to have international experience, so each year it...

GMAT Critical Reasoning : (CR) Questions

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Critical Reasoning

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As a large corporation in a small country, Hachnut wants its managers to have international experience, so each year it sponsors management education abroad for its management trainees. Hachnut has found, however, that the attrition rate from this program is becoming increasingly high, with many especially promising participants leaving Hachnut to join competing firms even before completing the program. Hachnut does use performance during the program as a criterion in deciding among candidates for management positions, but it finds itself more and more in the position of selecting from a critically depleted pool of candidates. The program is thus beginning to work against Hachnut's interest. Therefore, if the attrition problem cannot be successfully addressed, Hachnut should discontinue the sponsorship program.

In the argument given, the two boldfaced portions play which of the following roles?

The first describes a practice that the argument seeks to justify; the second states the main conclusion of the argument.

The first describes a practice that the argument seeks to justify; the second identifies a standard that any successful Justification would have to meet.

The first is an intermediate conclusion that is drawn in order to support the main conclusion of the argument; the second states that main conclusion.

The first introduces a policy that the argument seeks to evaluate; the second states a criterion to be used in that evaluation.

The first raises a consideration against abandoning the policy that the argument seeks to evaluate; the second states the evaluation at which the argument arrives.

Solution

Understanding the Passage

Text from Passage	Analysis
"As a large corporation in a small country, Hachnut wants its managers to have international experience, so each year it sponsors management education abroad for its management trainees."	What it says: Hachnut is a big company that sends its management trainees overseas for education to gain international experience. Visualization: Company size: Large corporation in small country → Annual program: 50 management trainees → Destination: International education abroad What it does: Sets up the context and explains Hachnut's current practice and motivation Source: Author's view
"Hachnut has found, however, that the attrition rate from this program is becoming increasingly high, with many especially promising participants leaving Hachnut to join competing firms even before completing the program."	What it says: The program has a growing problem - many good trainees are quitting to work for competitors before they even finish the program. Visualization: Program retention: Year 1: 90% completion → Year 3: 70% completion → Year 5: 50% completion. Best performers: 30 out of 50 promising trainees leave for competitors before graduation What it does: Introduces the main problem with the current program Source: Author's view
(Boldface 1) "Hachnut does use performance during the program as a criterion in deciding among candidates for management positions"	What it says: Hachnut looks at how well trainees do in the program when deciding who gets promoted to management jobs. Visualization: Selection process: 50 program participants → Performance evaluation → Top 20 performers considered → 10 selected for management positions What it does: Provides a factor that explains why the company still values the program despite the problems Source: Author's view
"but it finds itself more and more in the position of selecting from a critically depleted pool of candidates."	What it says: Because so many people are leaving, Hachnut has very few candidates left to choose from for management positions. Visualization: Available candidates: Year 1: 45 candidates remain → Year 3: 35 candidates remain → Year 5: 25 candidates remain from original 50 What it does: Explains the negative consequence of the attrition problem Source: Author's view
"The program is thus beginning to work against Hachnut's interest."	What it says: The program is now hurting Hachnut instead of helping it. Visualization: Program outcome: Intended benefit: 50 trained managers → Actual result: 25 remaining candidates + competitors gain 25 trained managers What it does: States the overall negative assessment of the program's current impact Source: Author's view
"Therefore," (Boldface 2) "if the attrition problem cannot be successfully addressed, Hachnut should discontinue the sponsorship program."	What it says: Because of this problem, if Hachnut can't fix the attrition issue, they should stop the program entirely. Visualization: Decision tree: Attrition problem solved → Continue program. Attrition problem persists → Cost: $2M annually + Competitors gain 25 trained managers → Action: Discontinue program What it does: Presents the author's main conclusion and recommended course of action Source: Author's view

Overall Structure

The author is presenting a problem analysis and recommending a conditional solution. The flow of logic moves from describing a beneficial program, to identifying its serious problems, to recommending discontinuation if the problems can't be solved.

Main Conclusion: If the attrition problem cannot be successfully addressed, Hachnut should discontinue the sponsorship program.

Boldface Segments

Boldface 1: Hachnut does use performance during the program as a criterion in deciding among candidates for management positions
Boldface 2: if the attrition problem cannot be successfully addressed, Hachnut should discontinue the sponsorship program

Boldface Understanding

Boldface 1 Analysis:

Function: Provides an explanation for why Hachnut continues to value the program despite the attrition problem
Direction: Same direction as author's conclusion (supports the overall argument by explaining the company's dilemma)

Boldface 2 Analysis:

Function: States the author's main recommendation for solving the problem
Direction: Same direction as author's conclusion (this IS the author's main conclusion)

Structural Classification

Boldface 1:

Structural Role: Supporting evidence/explanation that helps justify why the attrition problem is significant
Predicted Answer Patterns: "provides context for the problem," "explains a consideration," "supports the argument"

Boldface 2:

Structural Role: Main conclusion of the argument
Predicted Answer Patterns: "the conclusion," "the recommendation," "the author's main claim"

Answer Choices Explained

The first describes a practice that the argument seeks to justify; the second states the main conclusion of the argument.

The first describes a practice that the argument seeks to justify - ✗ WRONG - The argument isn't trying to justify using performance as a criterion; it's explaining why the company values the program despite problems. The second states the main conclusion of the argument - ✓ CORRECT - The conditional recommendation to discontinue is indeed the main conclusion.

The first describes a practice that the argument seeks to justify; the second identifies a standard that any successful Justification would have to meet.

The first describes a practice that the argument seeks to justify - ✗ WRONG - Same issue as Choice A; the argument doesn't seek to justify this practice. The second identifies a standard that any successful justification would have to meet - ✗ WRONG - The second boldface is a recommendation, not a standard for justification.

The first is an intermediate conclusion that is drawn in order to support the main conclusion of the argument; the second states that main conclusion.

The first is an intermediate conclusion that is drawn in order to support the main conclusion - ✗ WRONG - The first boldface is a factual statement about current practice, not a conclusion drawn from evidence. The second states that main conclusion - ✓ CORRECT - This part accurately identifies the second boldface.

The first introduces a policy that the argument seeks to evaluate; the second states a criterion to be used in that evaluation.

The first introduces a policy that the argument seeks to evaluate - ✗ WRONG - The first boldface describes a selection criterion, not the main policy being evaluated (which is the sponsorship program). The second states a criterion to be used in that evaluation - ✗ WRONG - The second boldface is the conclusion of the evaluation, not a criterion for evaluation.

The first raises a consideration against abandoning the policy that the argument seeks to evaluate; the second states the evaluation at which the argument arrives.

The first raises a consideration against abandoning the policy that the argument seeks to evaluate - ✓ CORRECT - By explaining that performance in the program is used for management selection, it shows why the company might want to keep the program. The second states the evaluation at which the argument arrives - ✓ CORRECT - The conditional recommendation to discontinue is exactly the final evaluation/conclusion the argument reaches.

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