Logical Reasoning

PT5 · S3 · Q24 There are about 75 brands

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There are about 75 brands of microwave popcorn on the market; altogether, they account for a little over half of the money from sales of microwave food products.

Conclusion

Many people are willing to pay a high price for just a little additional convenience.

Evidence

It takes three minutes to pop corn in the microwave, compared to seven minutes to pop corn conventionally.

By weight, microwave popcorn typically costs over five times as much as conventional popcorn.

Evaluate

The evidence presents a curious mismatch between a popcorn method (microwave) that takes about half as long but costs five times as much as an alternate method.

The conclusion theorizes why so many people like this method.

CURIOUS FACT why would you pay five times as much for microwave popcorn? EXPLANATION people like the convenience of it taking 3 mins, rather than 7 mins, to make.

Goal

To call the conclusion into question, we can look for an alternative motivation for why people might be willing to pay more for microwave popcorn that isn't related to convenience, or we can undermine the idea that people are attracted to microwave popcorn's quicker cook time. We could also weaken by presenting any fact that makes it seem like people aren't willing to pay a high price for just a little additional convenience.

24.

Which one of the following statements, if true, would call into question the conclusion in the passage?

  1. More than 50 percent of

    Weaker Impact

    This mathematical fact is actually implied by the evidence (microwave popcorn costs five times as much but collectively accounts for just over 50% of total popcorn revenue). This has nothing to do with offering us an alternate storyline for why people who buy microwave popcorn do so, or with undermining the idea that MANY people are willing to pay a lot more for convenience. Given that most people don't seem to be buying microwave popcorn, it faintly hints at our latter goal, but with very little impact, since the conclusion is only saying "many people", not "most people".

    18% picked this

  2. Correct

    Most people who prefer microwave

    Why this is right

    Choice (B) undermines the conclusion by presenting an alternative reason for choosing microwave popcorn. If most people prefer it because it's less fattening than conventionally popped popcorn, the motivation for their purchase might not be related to convenience as suggested by the author, but rather a health-related preference.

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

    71% picked this

  3. The price of microwave popcorn

    Opposite Impact (strengthens)

    This rules out the idea that people who buy microwave popcorn do so because microwave popcorn is of a higher quality than conventional popcorn. Thus, it strengthens the argument.

    4% picked this

  4. The ratio of unpopped kernels

    Opposite (if anything)

    This rules out the idea that people who buy microwave popcorn do so because microwave popcorn is better at popping all the kernels than conventional popcorn is. Thus, if anything, it strengthens the argument.

    2% picked this

  5. Because microwave popcorn contains additives

    No Impact

    We could try to pose this as an alternate explanation for why people often buy microwave popcorn, but it's a pretty weird storyline: They're willing to pay five times much, not because of its quicker popping time, but because they get more weight out of a given volume of popcorn? That story is even fishier given that the extra weight comes from (presumably unhealthy) additives.

    5% picked this

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