Q24 - Car companies solicit consumer

[dan]

24. (A)
Question Type: Inference
This is an inference question in disguise. "Proposition" is codeword for conclusion, so this question is asking us to draw a conclusion, or inference, from the information in the passage. On inference questions, we want the answer that is easiest to prove given the information in the passage. Answer (A) uses soft language that is difficult to argue with: can contribute to successful product design.

(B) is incorrect, as we don’t know if companies "traditionally" conduct these surveys, nor do we know if these surveys are "extensive."
(C) is wrong as we have no evidence to indicate that companies aim for specific "market niches."
(D) says "a car will have unappealing features." This is tough to justify.
(E) places external features in opposition to internal features. The passage does not explicitly distinguish between the two.


#officialexplanation

[b91302310]

Hello,

Regarding answer choice (D), is it wrong simply becuase of the tone used, "will" ? I think (D) is better. For the argument is a comparison between designer interaction and survey data, (D) indicates that it is essential to consult consumers during its design stage--which supports that designer interaction is superior to survey data.

I dared not to choose (A) since I considered that the result of "successful product design" is not guaranteed by the superior method mentioned in the argument.

So, is there any other reason against answer choice (D)?

Thanks !

[zl7391e]

yes there is. In the last sentence of the stimulus, the phrase "on last year's model" does not fit "during its design stage" in D (it should be post-design-stage to match what's stated in the stimulus).

[ManhattanPrepLSAT1]

yes there is. In the last sentence of the stimulus, the phrase "on last year's model" does not fit "during its design stage" in D (it should be post-design-stage to match what's stated in the stimulus).

Exactly right! Answer choice (D) is about what leads to design errors in general, whereas the stimulus is about using consumer interaction to improve design characteristics on existing models.

But b91302310 does have a point.

Hello,

Regarding answer choice (D), is it wrong simply becuase of the tone used, "will" ?

Notice the difference in strength between answer choice (A) and (D). A colleague and I were discussing this the other day and he pointed out that there is a difference between the principle questions that ask you to find a principle to which the argument conforms and one that would do most to justify the argument. For those that ask you to justify you will frequently feel as if the correct answer would also work as a sufficient assumption. For those that ask you to find a principle to which the argument would conform, you're more likely to feel that the correct answer is more similar to a necessary assumption.

Answer choice (A) is nice and weak, whereas answer choice (D) is too strong. So great discussion you have here!

[shaynfernandez]

The stem seems more like its indicating a principle than a conclusion...

[jnnkyle]

I got the right answer, but I got tripped up on the word "input" could't surveys also be seen as input?

[obobob]

Hi, for this question stem, is the question asking to find a right "proposition," meaning a good A) conclusion, or B) premise, or C) principle? I see two of the users telling two different things-- one says that the "proposition" means conclusion in this question and the other says "principle." Nevertheless, I think the question is asking for the right premise to complete the overall argument, which concludes that "[d]esigner interaction with consumer is superior to survey data[.]"

Can anyone clarify this?