PrepTest 126, Section 3, Question 8
Department store manager: There is absolutely no reason(43 more words not shown)
Which one of the following(10 more words not shown)
- AGift wrapping would(13 more words not shown)
- BAnything that slows(10 more words not shown)
- CIt would be(11 more words not shown)
- DIt would be(10 more words not shown)
- EEither few customers(11 more words not shown)
Reading the argument
Absolutely no reason? Free wrapping sounds convenient. If I could buy my gifts and have them wrapped in the same trip, that would remove a chore from my list. It might even make me choose this store over another one.
The manager says that if most customers use it, wrapping will be expensive and time-consuming. I can accept the expense and still ask whether it's worth it. A service could take time and money while bringing in enough business to justify both. The manager then says that if only a few customers want wrapping, there's no advantage in offering it.
What about something in the middle?
Perhaps roughly thirty percent want the service: more than a few, but fewer than most. Neither branch of the manager's argument tells us what happens then. We have two concerns now: cost doesn't by itself eliminate benefits, and the manager hasn't covered the range of possible demand.
What we’re looking for
The question asks what the argument requires us to assume. I'd look for a claim closing that second gap: either few customers will want wrapping or most will. That would rule out the middle case we just raised, even though it wouldn't fix every weakness in the argument.
Working the answers
- A
The cost doesn't have to rise for the manager to oppose the service. Suppose the manager thought spending five million dollars last year was a waste and expects it to cost four million this year. The manager could still object. No comparison with previous years is needed for the reasoning given here.
- B
This is about anything that slows shoppers down. The manager mentions the store's time and expense in providing wrapping, not a universal rule about all activities that delay shoppers. Other delays could cost nothing or even lead to additional purchases. The argument doesn't require B's broad claim.
- C
Rejecting free wrapping doesn't require believing paid wrapping would be worthwhile. Perhaps charging would upset customers or attract too little business to cover the cost. The manager could reject both versions. We aren't being asked to invent a successful replacement program.
- D
Informing customers could be cheap: put up a sign or mention the service at checkout. The manager's complaint concerns providing the service when many people use it, not the price of telling people it exists. Expensive advertising isn't required.
- ECorrect
The manager treats few users and most users as though they exhaust the possibilities. E makes that assumption explicit. Without it, there could be a middle level of demand that the manager's two claims never address. Ruling out that possibility is required for this two-case argument to cover the proposed service.
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