Restaurant critic: Most people agree that the food at Marva's Diner is exceptional, while the food at the more popula...

Mazen on June 14, 2022

Hi,

Out of respect for the experts' posts on this very answer-choice E, I would like to say that I read them, and that they were helpful.

However, I am not fully there; please, I need one additional clarification on the link between the quality of food and the popularity of the restaurant. Specifically, where is this link in the argument?

I do agree that there's a link, and I feel that the link hinges on ONE word, "almost," in the last sentence:
"This discrepancy should come as no surprise, since the Traintrack Inn's more convenient location' is by itself ALMOST enough to guarantee a steady flow of customers.

Am I correct that one word, "almost," creates that link between food quality and popularity?

My reasoning is: had that word, "almost," been absent from the argument, which would have left us with location convenience enough to guarantee, or guarantees, then "improving products in order to attract customers," per answer-choice B would not be necessary; after all, (and again, we're talking as if this argument excluded the word "almost') the relative convenience of the location of the restaurant (and I say "relative" because of the word "more" in "more convenient location is by itself...") the relative convenience of the location would have guaranteed the "steady flow of customers," and hence its superior "popularity."

Am I correct that it's the word "almost"?

Thank you
Mazen

jakennedy on June 15, 2022

Hi @Mazen,

You’re right about the significance of the word “almost”. As you said, if that word were absent, the convenient location would be sufficient to guarantee customers, so the quality of food would be unnecessary.

However, keep in mind that the question stem qualified the answer choice by saying “if valid”. That is, you shouldn’t treat it like a must be true and try to disprove the answer choice. When the question stem says “if true” we can just assume that every answer choice is a fact for the purposes of that question. You should ask yourself, assuming answer choice E IS true, would it strengthen the argument?

The author’s conclusion is that the phenomenon described in sentence one “should come as no surprise”. That is, it is no surprise that the less popular restaurant makes the better food. Answer choice D would, IF true, resolve this problem because if the less popular restaurant wants business, it will need to make better food. The more popular restaurant will already get plenty of business, so it has no incentive to make better food.

Then ask yourself if E would prove that conclusion that the phenomenon in sentence one is no surprise. We already know that Traintrack Inn has a more convenient location, so that would explain why Traintrack Inn is more popular, but we are still left wondering, why does Marva’s Diner have better food? The author states that it is not surprising that Marva’s Diner has better food than Traintrack Inn, and since answer choice E does nothing to resolve that, it doesn’t strengthen.

Mazen on June 16, 2022

Hi Jacob

Thank you for your explanation!