If retail stores experience a decrease in revenues during this holiday season, then either attitudes toward extravaga...
MorganSchavoneJanuary 16, 2020
Question breakdown
In this question is it not true that both answer choices A and C are correct? A, being public attitude changed, is a natural conclusion too Salaries being kept steady. When salaries are accurate we can expect revenues not to have fallen because of too high of prices, which in turn only leaves us with the conclusion that attitudes have changed. Option c just reaffirms what we can conclude overall, i.e., that attitudes must have changed?
I ended up choosing option C, which is correct. But on a question that didn't have option C I would have inevitably went with option A.
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This is a great question for practicing our sufficient and necessary reasoning. I'll diagram it to demonstrate.
Decrease in revenue = DR Attitudes changed = AC Prices have risen beyond = PRB Something to celebrate = STC Salaries kept pace = SKP
- - - - - > AC - - - - - -> SC DR or - - - - - -> PRB - - - - - - not SKP
The question stem tells us that salaries have kept pace. This negates a necessary condition, which negates its sufficient condition. From this, we can conclude that prices have not risen beyond what people can afford. SKP - - - - -> not PRB As you know, this is why C is correct.
The question stem has eliminated one half of our either/or, leaving us with
DR - - - - - > AC - - - - - -> SC
We could conclude A, but only if we knew that revenues decreased. Therein lies the problem. Can we say that revenues have decreased? No. We cannot conclude the sufficient condition. Everything here is conditional, based on what would happen if revenues decreased. The question stem never says "revenues have decreased." Therefore, answer choice A could be true, but it is not certainly true. The testmakers will often try to trick you into concluding a sufficient condition. Next time, you will be ready.
PhoebeImanFebruary 2, 2021
Hi Morgan, thanks for this explanation, it was helpful. I am unfamiliar with the elimination of one half of either/or. So as I have been reviewing, trying to copy your process, I am stumped at this step. If the contrapositive of DR---> AC or PRB is not PRB & not AC ---> not DR how are you able to legally get
SKP ---> not PRB
and furthermore, allow that to eliminate one half of the either/or?
