Whenever GrayCo needs to increase production temporarily, it relies on workers who volunteer for extra shifts. Company surveys show that...

GMAT Critical Reasoning : (CR) Questions

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Critical Reasoning

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MEDIUM

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Whenever GrayCo needs to increase production temporarily, it relies on workers who volunteer for extra shifts. Company surveys show that of those who volunteer, well over half are regular participants in company-sponsored recreational activities, whereas of GrayCo employees overall, far less than half are regular participants. Based on this information, managers are attempting to significantly expand the pool of volunteers by improving the quality of company-sponsored recreational activities and by increasing publicity for them.

Which of the following, if true, most strongly indicates that the managers' efforts are unlikely to produce the desired result?

GrayCo's managers foresee a growing need for volunteers for extra shifts over the next few years.

Company surveys showed that many employees were unaware of most of the recreational activities sponsored by GrayCo.

Many employees who are not currently regular participants in company-sponsored recreational activities would participate if those activities were improved.

Those employees who regularly participate in company-sponsored recreational activities, unlike those who do not do so, generally have few responsibilities outside of work.

GrayCo has been unable to meet the need to increase production temporarily in certain areas by temporarily curtailing production in other areas.

Solution

Passage Analysis:

Text from Passage	Analysis
Whenever GrayCo needs to increase production temporarily, it relies on workers who volunteer for extra shifts.	What it says: GrayCo uses volunteers when they need more work done for short periods What it does: Sets up the context - tells us about GrayCo's staffing approach What it is: Background information about company practice
Company surveys show that of those who volunteer, well over half are regular participants in company-sponsored recreational activities, whereas of GrayCo employees overall, far less than half are regular participants.	What it says: Volunteers are much more likely to join company activities than regular employees What it does: Provides key data that shows a connection between volunteering and activity participation What it is: Survey findings/statistical evidence Visualization: Total employees: 100 people → Only 30% join activities Volunteers: 20 people → 70% join activities
Based on this information, managers are attempting to significantly expand the pool of volunteers by improving the quality of company-sponsored recreational activities and by increasing publicity for them.	What it says: Managers think better activities will create more volunteers What it does: Shows the managers' plan based on the survey data we just learned What it is: Management strategy/conclusion Visualization: Current volunteers: 20 people Manager's goal: Improve activities → Get more people (maybe 40-50) to volunteer

Argument Flow:

The argument starts with background about GrayCo's volunteer system, then presents survey data showing volunteers participate in company activities more than regular employees. Based on this correlation, managers conclude that improving activities will increase volunteers.

Main Conclusion:

Managers believe that improving company recreational activities and increasing publicity for them will expand the pool of volunteers for extra shifts.

Logical Structure:

The managers are making a causal assumption: since people who volunteer also tend to participate in company activities, they think making better activities will cause more people to volunteer. This assumes the correlation works in reverse - that activities lead to volunteering, not just that volunteers happen to like activities.

Prethinking:

Question type:

Weaken - We need to find information that would reduce belief in the managers' conclusion that improving recreational activities will expand the volunteer pool

Precision of Claims

The key claim is about causation: managers believe that better recreational activities will cause more people to volunteer for extra shifts. The surveys show correlation between activity participation and volunteering, but managers are assuming this means improving activities will create more volunteers.

Strategy

To weaken this argument, we need to attack the assumption that the correlation between activity participation and volunteering means that improving activities will create more volunteers. We can do this by:

Showing the causation runs the opposite direction (volunteering leads to activity participation, not vice versa)
Showing there's a third factor that causes both behaviors
Showing that people who participate in activities are already maxed out on volunteering capacity

Answer Choices Explained

GrayCo's managers foresee a growing need for volunteers for extra shifts over the next few years.

This choice tells us that managers expect growing need for volunteers in the future. However, this doesn't weaken their current strategy - if anything, it reinforces why finding a way to expand the volunteer pool is important. This doesn't indicate their efforts are unlikely to succeed.

Company surveys showed that many employees were unaware of most of the recreational activities sponsored by GrayCo.

This choice suggests many employees don't know about current recreational activities. This actually supports the managers' plan rather than weakening it - if people don't know about activities, then increasing publicity (which is part of their strategy) could indeed help expand participation and potentially the volunteer pool.

Many employees who are not currently regular participants in company-sponsored recreational activities would participate if those activities were improved.

This choice directly supports the managers' strategy by confirming that non-participants would join if activities were improved. This strengthens rather than weakens the argument that improving recreational activities will expand participation, which managers believe will lead to more volunteers.

Those employees who regularly participate in company-sponsored recreational activities, unlike those who do not do so, generally have few responsibilities outside of work.

This choice reveals a critical flaw in the managers' reasoning. It shows that people who participate in company activities have few outside responsibilities, while non-participants have many outside responsibilities. Since volunteering for extra shifts requires availability outside regular work hours, even if better activities attract people with many outside responsibilities to participate, they still won't have time to volunteer for extra shifts. The managers' strategy targets the wrong constraint - the issue isn't activity quality, but time availability.

GrayCo has been unable to meet the need to increase production temporarily in certain areas by temporarily curtailing production in other areas.

This choice discusses GrayCo's inability to meet production needs through internal reallocation. While this shows they need the volunteer system, it doesn't indicate whether improving recreational activities will successfully expand the volunteer pool. This is about operational constraints, not about the effectiveness of their volunteer expansion strategy.

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