Market researchers recently reported that ninety percent of the people interviewed objected to a particular detergent's advertisement because of their...
GMAT Critical Reasoning : (CR) Questions
Market researchers recently reported that ninety percent of the people interviewed objected to a particular detergent's advertisement because of their portrayal of women. Yet this detergent is purchased by twenty percent of consumers. So its advertisements must be considered to be unobjectionable to at least twenty percent of consumers.
The conclusion of the argument above depends on which of the following assumption?
Passage Analysis:
| Text from Passage | Analysis |
| Market researchers recently reported that ninety percent of the people interviewed objected to a particular detergent's advertisement because of their portrayal of women. |
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| Yet this detergent is purchased by twenty percent of consumers. |
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| So its advertisements must be considered to be unobjectionable to at least twenty percent of consumers. |
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Argument Flow:
The argument starts with research showing 90% of people objected to the detergent's ads, then contrasts this with sales data showing 20% of consumers buy the product anyway. From this contrast, the author concludes that at least 20% must find the ads acceptable.
Main Conclusion:
The detergent's advertisements must be considered unobjectionable to at least twenty percent of consumers.
Logical Structure:
The author assumes that if people buy the detergent, they must find its advertisements acceptable. This creates a direct link between purchasing behavior and advertising approval, which bridges the gap between the sales data (20% buy it) and the conclusion (20% must approve of the ads).
Prethinking:
Question type:
Assumption - We need to find what the author must believe to be true for their conclusion to hold. The author jumps from '20% buy the detergent' to '20% find the ads unobjectionable.'
Precision of Claims
The claims involve specific percentages (90% objected, 20% purchase) and a direct connection between purchasing behavior and ad acceptance. The author assumes purchasing decisions directly reflect attitudes toward advertisements.
Strategy
For assumption questions, we identify ways the conclusion could fall apart while keeping the stated facts intact. The author concludes that since 20% buy the detergent, at least 20% must find the ads unobjectionable. We need to find what must be true for this logic to work - essentially, what connects buying behavior to ad approval.