Logical Reasoning

PT133 · S3 · Q16 Travaillier Corporation has recently

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Travaillier Corporation has recently hired employees with experience in the bus tour industry, and its executives have also been negotiating with charter bus companies that subcontract with bus tour companies.

Conclusion

Travaillier Corporation must be attempting to enlarge its consumer base by attracting new customers.

Evidence

Travaillier Corporation has traditionally catered to air travelers, and those travelers are still taking similar vacations.

Meanwhile, Travaillier Corporation recently hired employees who have experience in the tour bus industry, and its execs have been in talks with companies that subcontract charter buses.

Ealuation

This is a classic Curious Fact / Author's Interpretation type argument. Curious Fact: Why is Travaillier Corporation hiring employees w/ tour bus industry experience and talking to companies that rent out charter buses? Author's Interpretation: They must be trying to enlarge their base (which is mostly air travelers) by trying to attract bus travelers as well.

The correct answers to these arguments deal with one of two things: - a different way to explain the curious fact - the plausibility of the author's way

Goal

Most Weaken answers on causal arguments deal with a different way to explain the curious fact, so we'll primarily look for a different reason (besides trying to attract new bus customers) that Travaillier Corporation is hiring people with bus experience and talking to a charter bus companies. But we'll stay receptive to answers that lower the plausibility that Travaillier Corporation is trying to enlarge their base, or that they are seeking new, bus-traveling customers.

16.

Which one of the following, if true, would most weaken the argument?

  1. In the past, Travaillier has

    No Impact

    If anything, this would Strengthen something we already were told: the existing customers aren't likely to change their vacation preferences.

    4% picked this

  2. Several travel companies other than

    Too Weak: several

    This somewhat lowers the plausibility that Travaillier Corporation would risk trying to break into the bus tour industry, if several other companies have tried and failed. But several isn't an impressive quantity, so this answer has minimal impact.

    4% picked this

  3. At least one of Travaillier's

    Too Weak: at least one

    This would almost sound like a different explanation for the new people being hired: "yes, they have tour bus experience, but they're really being hired for their air travel experience." However, at least one is such an unimpressive quantity that this answer has minimal impact.

    11% picked this

  4. Some of Travaillier's competitors have

    No Impact Too Weak: some

    The fact that at least one competitor has focused on the highest-spenders doesn't tell us anything about air travel vs. bus travel, or enlarging customer base vs. not enlarging. And it's a weak quantity to begin with, so even if it had some impact, it would be tiny.

    5% picked this

  5. Correct

    The industry consultants employed by

    Why this is right

    This idea undermines the plausibility of the author's story. If Travaillier Corporation wants to expand, the consultants they hire are mostly telling them to focus on getting current customers into new products and services. If we assume that the consultants did in fact give their typical advice to Travaillier Corporation, and if we assume that Travaillier Corporation heeded that advice, then it's less likely that Travaillier Corporation is trying to expand by finding new customers. This answer is still pretty weak, because we have to add a couple assumptions (conservative ones, at least) in order to give it any relevance. But it's stronger than the available alternatives. This simultaneously suggests a different motive for Travaillier Corporation talking to all these tour bus people: they're not trying to get new bus customers; they're trying to introduce their current customers to new products and services ("if you like flying with us, consider taking a tour bus with us")

    Skill tested: Weaken · how this choice captures the argument's function is the move to repeat next time.

    76% picked this

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