6. A law requiring companies to offer employees unpaid time off to care for their children will harm the economic competitiveness of our nation's businesses. Companies must be free to set their own employment policies without mandated parental-leave regulations.

Which of the following, if true, would most seriously weaken the conclusion of the argument above?

(A) A parental-leave law will serve to strengthen the family as a social institution in this country.
(B) Many businesses in this country already offer employees some form of parental leave.
(C) Some of the countries with the most economically competitive businesses have strong parental-leave regulations.
(D) Only companies with one hundred or more employees would be subject to the proposed parental-leave law.
(E) In most polls, a majority of citizens say they favor passage of a parental-leave law.

I had selected B whereas the OA is C
I had eliminated C for the following reasons:
1. If a particular regulator has proved successful is other countries, it does not mean that they will be successful in our country.
2. C does not imply that due to strong parental-leave regulations is the reason for the economic competitiveness. It could be that despite of strong parental-leave regulations, there are many other factors that are enabling those countries to be economically competitive.

Please let me know where I have gone wrong. Also, why is B wrong.

Let me try and answer, do correct me if my reasoning is wrong.

evidence => parental leave law - will harm economic competitiveness

Assumption => employment policy minus parental leave law - leads to economic competitiveness

conclusion => if companies set their now employment policy it will leads to economic competitiveness.

In weaken question always try to undermine the assumption.

C) Some of the countries with the most economically competitive businesses have strong parental-leave regulations. - Parental-leave regulations do not effect economic competitiveness. Thus making the regulation mandatory would not effect economic competitiveness of a business

(B) Many businesses in this country already offer employees some form of parental leave. - This probably would have weakened the argument if it stated that these business with parental leave policy are economically efficient.

Nice job, Ash. I like the focus on the "economic competitiveness" wording in C; notice that wording is in the conclusion but B lacks it.

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Jamie Nelson
ManhattanGMAT Instructor