So I have come across 2 problems that in my opinion are very similar and I got both of them wrong. I am having a bit of difficulty making that leap from the very apparent second best choice ( also the trap) to the correct answer.

I think they are both strengthen questions... that means outside info is OK. I need help with reasoning and justification for the assimilation of this seemingly off topic info into the argument. I chose B for 1 and E for 2 which are very similar wrong choices. my understanding is that they are premises and already accounted for in the original information given in the argument. But I am having trouble justifying them as Wrong answers... because as we know every answer that is not a right answer is a Wrong answer...

Thank you.

source: Manhattan CATs

(1) Almost every modern kitchen today is equipped with a microwave oven, mainly because microwave ovens offer a fast and convenient way of cooking and reheating food. Indeed, it has become a standard appliance in most households. Studies have shown, however, that microwave ovens are not completely safe and their use has occasionally resulted in serious injury. Because of this, some consumer advocates argue that microwave ovens should not be so readily accepted as a standard appliance until they can be certified to be completely safe.

Which of the following, if true, would most strengthen the argument of the consumer advocates?
(A)Microwave ovens have taken much of the joy out of cooking.
(B)There have been many reported incidences of people who have been scalded by liquids superheated in microwave ovens.
(C)Absolute safety is the only criterion by which an appliance should be judged to be acceptable as “standard.”
(D)There is no such thing as a completely safe appliance.
(E)Stoves and ovens that use natural gas consume energy much more efficiently than microwave ovens.


(2) The United States government uses only a household's cash income before taxes to determine whether that household falls below the poverty line in a given year; capital gains, non-cash government benefits, and tax credits are not included. However, yearly cash income is not a fool-proof measure of a given household's disposable income. For example, retirees who live off of capital gains from an extensive portfolio could earn hundreds of thousands of dollars, yet be classified by the government as living in "poverty" because this income is not included in the calculation.

Which of the following, if true, validates the contention that the government's calculation methods must be altered in order to provide statistics that measure true poverty?
(A)For more than 99% of those classified as living in poverty, yearly cash income comprises the vast majority of each household's disposable income.
(B)While the government’s calculation method indicated a 12.5% poverty rate in 2003, the same calculation method indicated anywhere from a 9% to a 16% poverty rate during the preceding decade.
(C)Most established research studies conducted by the private sector indicate that the number of people truly living in poverty in the U.S. is less than that indicated by the government’s calculation method.
(D)Several prominent economists endorse an alternate calculation method which incorporates all income, not just cash income, and adjusts for taxes paid and other core expenses.
(E)The government’s calculation method also erroneously counts those who do not earn income in a given year but who have substantial assets on which to live during that year.

rhitian,
To me your chosen answers are similar because they are very, very close to repeating premises in the argument. Stating a premise again isn't going to help you as much in this type of question; instead, you should probably try to affirm an assumption. Look at the logic gap or leap that the author made from the premises to the assumption.

An especially good example of this can be seen in the first argument.
Premise: Microwave ovens have ben associated with injuries.
Conclusion: They should not be certified as standard appliances until they are completely safe.

Wait! We started out talking about injuries, yet the conclusion introduces the idea of a microwave as a standard appliance. We need to link those two in an assumption and can affirm that assumption as a strengthen answer.

_________________
Jamie Nelson
ManhattanGMAT Instructor

Hi Nelson ,
while going through the mgmat cr guide , assumption chapter , i found that a valid assumption could also be one that shows a premise to be feasible . An assumption could also that a premise has the ability to take place .
Therefore going by this logic isnt Option B in CR1 a valid choice .
Another question where an option is purported to be the right answer because it shows the feasibility of the premise .



In this CR the right answer is B .But B just repeats a premise that if the company announces the launch of a new product , the public will come to hear about it . So why is repeating the premise acceptable in the cr quoted and not the cr , the subject of this discussion

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analyst-the-pace-of-technological-development-brings-a-t403.html[/url]

Is B the right answer for 1 and E the right answer for 2 ?

Are you questioning it or are you sure

Yes, an assumption can make a premise feasible if it is not currently feasible. But with the microwave problem, the premise is perfectly feasible. It is not a weak or unlikely premise that needs to be strengthened through the assumption.



I don't see B as a premise in the argument. Can you quote the exact language that you think mirrors B in the argument? Thanks!

_________________
Jamie Nelson
ManhattanGMAT Instructor

Hi,
In the first argument about microwaves, I have understood the premise and the conclusion as the ones mentioned above. However, I am unable to find the difference between the Assumption and the Strengthener in this question. If answer choice C is the correct answer for this Strengthen question, would it also be the same answer if the question were "Find the Assumption"?

How do we differentiate between an Assumption and a Strengthener in such a case? Would the assumption serve as a strengthener if the other options do not match up? Additionally, supporting a premise, as option B does, is not sufficient to Strengthen?

Would be glad if you could help me understand something that I am missing.

Exactly! Sometimes an assumption and a strengthen answer are the exact same thing, or very close! Keep in mind that an assumption is something that we are ASSUMING, meaning that it is not a fact. An assumption may or may not be true.

Here's a very basic argument:
Chocolate contains antioxidants. Therefore, chocolate is good for your health.

Conclusion: Chocolate is good for your health.
WHY?
Premise: Chocolate contains antioxidants.
Assumption: Antioxidants are good for your health. (notice how the assumption bridges the gap between the wording in the premise and the conclusion)

A way to strengthen this argument is to affirm that the assumption is true: Antioxidants are in fact good for your health.

To weaken we attack the assumption: Antioxidants have not been shown to have any impact on human health.

So a strengthen answer is often the one that just says that the assumption is in fact true.

Does this help? Hope so!

_________________
Jamie Nelson
ManhattanGMAT Instructor

Yes it does absolutely. Thank you very much. :)

glad to hear it!

_________________
Tim Sanders
Manhattan GMAT Instructor

Hi,

I need to confirm whether the logic I am using to arrive at the correct answer is right.

CCS ---> SA: An appliance, which is certified to be completely safe can be considered a standard appliance.

I am not sure but is it fine to associate this question with cause and reasoning i.e A cause B can be strengthened by stating that nothing else other than A to cause B which is done by C in the microwave question.

Tutors can you please throw some light on this question.

Thanks in advance!!

I really can't figure out what your question is. Your paragraph has too many grammar problems for me to get a handle on what you are trying to ask. You haven't even included a question mark! :)

_________________
Tim Sanders
Manhattan GMAT Instructor