PrepTest 119, Section 4, Question 21
Pizzerias are the only restaurants that routinely record(34 more words not shown)
Which one of the following,(10 more words not shown)
- ARestaurants other than(9 more words not shown)
- BFor restaurants, utilizing(14 more words not shown)
- CFor restaurants, the(21 more words not shown)
- DUtilizing direct-mail marketing(13 more words not shown)
- ERestaurants that routinely(20 more words not shown)
Reading the argument
Having the customer data doesn't mean using it well.
A pizzeria may know who orders often, who orders occasionally, and what each customer likes. That sounds useful for sending advertisements. But perhaps another restaurant does a better job with the information it has. The pizza shop could collect excellent data and never put together an effective mailing.
What we’re looking for
The conclusion compares actual marketing effectiveness. The evidence describes a data-collection practice. We need a rule that connects the two strongly enough to prove that the pizzerias come out ahead. For this sufficient-assumption question, I'd look for a guarantee that restaurants using this practice market more effectively than restaurants that don't.
Working the answers
- A
Other restaurants might have a harder time identifying their customer groups and still run better campaigns. Difficulty organizing the information doesn't establish inferior marketing results. The answer stops short of the comparison we need to prove.
- B
This makes some customer information a requirement for direct-mail marketing. It doesn't make routinely recording that information a guarantee of better marketing. A non-pizzeria might have some names, addresses, and orders without routinely collecting them. Meeting a basic requirement wouldn't tell us which restaurant uses the method most effectively anyway.
- C
This explains how restaurants generally identify their customer groups. But identifying groups isn't the conclusion; using direct-mail marketing more effectively is. Even if we strengthen the connection between records and customer identification, the gap between having useful information and achieving better results remains.
- D
Being beneficial and being more effective than someone else's marketing are different comparisons. A campaign could benefit a restaurant a little while another restaurant's campaign benefits it much more. D also allows exceptions by saying rarely and doesn't establish that every other restaurant lacks customer identification. It cannot guarantee the pizzerias' advantage.
- ECorrect
This directly connects the practice in the premise with the superiority in the conclusion. Restaurants that routinely record these customer details always use direct-mail marketing more effectively than other restaurants.
The passage identifies pizzerias as the restaurants with that routine, so the new rule gives them the advantage the author claims. We don't have to establish independently that recordkeeping really guarantees good marketing. For this question, we assume the answer is true and see whether it completes the argument. E does.
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