PT158 S4 Q25 ExplanationMost of the members of

Answer choices, explained

1. A

   Wrong Subgroup2% picked this

   most of the government employees who belong to Bargaining Unit Number 17 but are not computer programmers work

   This answer tells us where the non-programmer members of BU17 work. The conclusion requires programmers in the Hanson Building, but this answer places non-programmers there. Consider: BU17 has 100 members, 70 programmers and 30 non-programmers. This answer says most of the 30 non-programmers work in Hanson -- placing perhaps 20 non-programmers there. But the 70 programmers could all work elsewhere. Knowing where the wrong subgroup works cannot establish that the right subgroup is present in the target location.

   2%
2. B

   Out of Scope6% picked this

   most members of the executive committee of Bargaining Unit Number 17 work in

   The executive committee is not mentioned anywhere in the argument's premises or conclusion. The argument involves three categories -- BU17 members, programmers, and Hanson Building workers. Without any established relationship between the executive committee and these three categories, knowing where its members work is logically inert. A sufficient assumption must bridge the specific gap between BU17 programmers and the Hanson Building, and a completely foreign group cannot serve that function.

   6%
3. C

   Reversed Direction32% picked this

   most of the government employees who work in the Hanson Building are members of Bargaining

   This answer says most workers in the Hanson Building are members of BU17. But we need the reverse: most BU17 members work in the Hanson Building. The direction of the "most" statement matters critically. "Most Hanson workers are BU17" tells us Hanson is heavily populated by BU17 members, but it does not tell us which BU17 members are there. BU17 could have 1,000 members (700 programmers, 300 non-programmers) while Hanson has only 20 workers, 15 of whom are BU17 non-programmers. The "most" running from Hanson to BU17 does not force any BU17 programmers into the building.

   32%
4. D

   Correct57% picked this

   most of the members of Bargaining Unit Number 17 work in

   Why this is right

   This answer leverages a fundamental principle of categorical logic: two "most" statements about the same group must overlap. The premise states that most BU17 members are programmers (more than 50%). This answer adds that most BU17 members work in the Hanson Building (more than 50%). Since both subsets -- programmers and Hanson workers -- each constitute more than half of BU17, they cannot be completely disjoint. At least some BU17 members must be both programmers and Hanson Building workers. Those individuals are government employees (as BU17 members) who work in the Hanson Building and are computer programmers -- exactly what the conclusion states. The conclusion follows with mathematical certainty.

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

   57%
5. E

   Wrong Category2% picked this

   most of the people who work in the Hanson building are

   This answer introduces "government employees" as a category and says most Hanson Building workers belong to it. But the argument needs a connection between BU17 membership (and specifically its programmer subset) and working in the Hanson Building. Government employment is a fourth category with no established relationship to BU17 or to programming. Knowing that Hanson is staffed primarily by government employees tells us nothing about whether any of those employees are in BU17 or are programmers. It is a piece from a different puzzle.

   2%