Over the last 25 years, the average price paid for a new car has steadily increased in relation to average individual...

Malik on September 14 at 10:34PM

Debating A and E

Hi, I debated A and E because I could make an argument that both of them were right. In situations like this I am not sure how to figure out which one to choose, do you have any advice? A: There has been a significant increase over the last 25 years in the proportion of individuals in households with more than one wage earner. Here I thought that if the individuals are spending the same proportion of their income in buying the car, but also getting some money from a wife or family member, that would weaken the argument that individuals are spending a higher proportion of their income on cars. I realize this argument requires an assumption not stated in the answer choice, but assumptions are a tricky topic because I find that in the harder questions, there seems to be room for some assumptions. E: Sales to individuals make up a smaller proportion of all new–car sales than they did 25 years ago. I also thought this was right for the reasons stated in the explanation. Other entities could be buying expensive cars, which could. be increasing the average while keeping individual proportions the same. But doesn't this also require the assumption that the other entities are spending a lot of money on cars? So how should I have decided between the two and in the future what is the best way to go about it

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Emil-Kunkin on September 17 at 02:44PM

So I think you're on the right track with the assumptions. That said I don't think e requires the assumption you mentioned. Rather, that is something that is implied by the answer choice. If businesses make up a greater proportion of new sales, then we can assume that businesses are spending more than they were in the past. Sure it's possible that businesses are buying only cheap cars, but it seems more likely this is not the case. Regardless, this gives us a completely plausible way that even though the average spend on a car has increased, the average person is not spending a greater percent of their income.

I think your argument for A is good, but the passage forecloses it. The passage refers to "individual" purchasers. I would take this to exclude both purchases by business and by households, that is, by two people, as you described.

Emil-Kunkin on September 17 at 02:45PM

But generally, the right answer will be the one with the fewest leaps or assumptions needed to say why it weakens.