Strengthen an Argument
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GRE Verbal › Strengthen an Argument
A city parks department planted 500 new trees in a downtown area. Two years later, measurements show that average summer afternoon temperatures on streets with the new trees are 1.2°C lower than on comparable streets without new trees. The department concludes that planting additional trees throughout the city will substantially reduce the city’s overall summer heat and recommends reallocating funds from other beautification projects to tree planting. Which statement provides the strongest support for the conclusion?
Other cities with similar climates have observed citywide temperature reductions after increasing tree canopy coverage across many neighborhoods.
Over the two-year period, the city also replaced several dark asphalt surfaces with lighter paving materials.
Residents generally prefer streets with mature trees to streets without trees.
The temperature measurements were taken using calibrated sensors placed at the same height on all streets.
The downtown area receives more pedestrian traffic than most other neighborhoods.
Explanation
This question tests your ability to strengthen an argument by identifying evidence that supports the conclusion. Strengthening an argument involves providing information that makes the conclusion more likely to be true given the premises. The argument concludes that planting trees throughout the city will reduce overall summer heat, based on lower temperatures on downtown streets with new trees. A vulnerability is that the downtown results may not generalize citywide, or other changes could have contributed to the cooling. Choice D strengthens the argument by providing evidence from similar cities where widespread tree planting led to citywide temperature reductions, supporting broader efficacy. In contrast, choice C is a distractor that introduces an alternative cause, like lighter paving, which could explain the cooling independently. Choice A is irrelevant, as pedestrian traffic does not address heat reduction causation.
A health clinic began sending text-message reminders to patients 24 hours before scheduled appointments. In the next quarter, the clinic’s no-show rate fell from 12% to 8%. The clinic manager concludes that text reminders reduce no-shows and recommends implementing the same reminder system for all clinics in the network. Which of the following, if true, most strengthens the argument?
Some patients do not have unlimited texting plans on their mobile phones.
No-show rates tend to be higher in winter months than in summer months.
The clinic also reduced average appointment length slightly during the same quarter.
The clinic’s staff found the reminder software easy to use.
Patients who received a reminder were less likely to miss appointments than patients who did not receive a reminder because they had opted out of texts.
Explanation
This question tests your ability to strengthen an argument by identifying evidence that supports the conclusion. Strengthening an argument involves providing information that makes the conclusion more likely to be true given the premises. The argument concludes that text reminders reduce no-shows and recommends network-wide implementation, based on a rate drop after starting reminders. A vulnerability is that opt-outs or other changes might bias results, not reflecting true causation. Choice C strengthens the argument by showing lower no-shows among reminder recipients versus opt-outs, directly linking reminders to reductions. In contrast, choice B is a distractor that introduces an alternative cause, like shorter appointments, which could explain the drop. Choice A is irrelevant, as texting plans do not address reminder effectiveness.
A city transportation office notes that after installing protected bike lanes on three major corridors last year, the number of reported bicycle–car collisions on those corridors fell by 18% compared with the prior year. The office concludes that installing protected bike lanes on the city’s remaining major corridors will reduce bicycle–car collisions citywide. Which of the following, if true, most strengthens the argument?
During the same year, the city increased fines for speeding on residential streets.
Surveys show that many residents support additional investments in cycling infrastructure.
Comparable cities that installed protected bike lanes on most major corridors saw citywide bicycle–car collisions decline, even when overall traffic volume stayed constant.
On the three corridors, bicycle traffic volume remained approximately the same as in the prior year.
The three corridors with new protected bike lanes were selected because they had the highest collision rates in the city.
Explanation
This question tests your ability to strengthen an argument by identifying evidence that supports the conclusion. Strengthening an argument involves providing information that makes the conclusion more likely to be true given the premises. The argument concludes that installing protected bike lanes on the remaining major corridors will reduce bicycle-car collisions citywide, based on a decline in collisions on three specific corridors after installation. A vulnerability is that the three corridors may not be representative of the city as a whole, or other factors might have influenced the decline, making generalization uncertain. Choice E strengthens the argument by providing evidence from comparable cities where widespread installation led to citywide reductions, even with constant traffic, supporting the causal link and broader applicability. In contrast, choice B is a distractor that weakens the argument by suggesting the corridors were selected for high collision rates, making them unrepresentative. Choice D is irrelevant, as resident support for infrastructure does not address collision reduction effectiveness.
A university dining service replaced disposable plastic cutlery with compostable cutlery in all campus cafeterias. In the semester after the change, the dining service reports a 25% reduction in the weight of cafeteria waste sent to the landfill. The director concludes that switching to compostable cutlery was the cause of the reduction and recommends expanding the program to all university-operated catering events to further reduce landfill waste. Which statement provides the strongest support for the conclusion?
The university also began a campaign encouraging students to bring reusable water bottles during the same semester.
Compostable cutlery costs the dining service slightly more per unit than plastic cutlery did.
Cafeterias that complied most consistently with placing compostable cutlery in compost bins showed the largest reductions in landfill-bound waste.
Some students report that they prefer the feel of plastic cutlery to compostable cutlery.
The dining service weighed landfill waste using the same scale and schedule as in prior semesters.
Explanation
This question tests your ability to strengthen an argument by identifying evidence that supports the conclusion. Strengthening an argument involves providing information that makes the conclusion more likely to be true given the premises. The argument concludes that switching to compostable cutlery caused the reduction in landfill waste and recommends expansion, based on the observed decrease after the change. A vulnerability is that other factors, like concurrent campaigns or inconsistent implementation, might have contributed to the reduction instead. Choice B strengthens the argument by linking consistent compliance with compostable cutlery to larger waste reductions, supporting causation. In contrast, choice A is a distractor that introduces an alternative cause, such as the reusable bottle campaign, which could explain the reduction independently. Choice C is irrelevant, as cost differences do not address the causal impact on waste reduction.
A regional hospital introduced a new triage protocol in its emergency department. Administrators report that average patient wait time fell from 62 minutes to 49 minutes in the three months after implementation. They conclude that the new protocol improves efficiency and should be adopted by the hospital’s affiliated urgent-care clinics as well. Which of the following best bolsters the author’s reasoning?
Urgent-care clinics typically treat less severe cases than emergency departments do.
Patient satisfaction scores increased slightly during the same three-month period.
The new protocol requires staff to complete an additional online training module each year.
The number of emergency department visits during those three months was approximately the same as during the previous three months.
The emergency department hired two additional nurses shortly before the new protocol began.
Explanation
This question tests your ability to strengthen an argument by identifying evidence that supports the conclusion. Strengthening an argument involves providing information that makes the conclusion more likely to be true given the premises. The argument concludes that the new triage protocol improves efficiency and should be adopted elsewhere, based on reduced wait times after implementation. A vulnerability is that changes in visit volume or staffing could have influenced wait times, confounding the protocol's effect. Choice C strengthens the argument by confirming similar visit numbers, ruling out reduced demand as an alternative explanation. In contrast, choice A is a distractor that introduces an alternative cause, like additional nurses, which could explain the wait time reduction. Choice E is irrelevant, as training requirements do not address efficiency improvements.
A market research firm surveyed 1,200 subscribers to an online newspaper and found that 68% of respondents would be willing to pay $2 more per month for a new feature that summarizes long articles. The newspaper’s editor concludes that adding the feature and raising subscription prices by $2 will increase total subscription revenue. Which of the following, if true, most strengthens the argument?
The newspaper’s costs for producing the summaries would be relatively low.
The newspaper’s primary competitor does not currently offer article summaries.
Many respondents said they value investigative reporting more than opinion columns.
In a pilot test, subscribers who received the summary feature were no more likely to cancel after a $2 price increase than subscribers who did not receive the feature.
The survey was conducted online using the newspaper’s existing subscriber email list.
Explanation
This question tests your ability to strengthen an argument by identifying evidence that supports the conclusion. Strengthening an argument involves providing information that makes the conclusion more likely to be true given the premises. The argument concludes that adding article summaries and raising prices by $2 will increase subscription revenue, based on survey willingness to pay. A vulnerability is that stated willingness may not translate to actual behavior, especially with price increases potentially leading to cancellations. Choice C strengthens the argument by showing in a pilot that the feature prevented cancellations despite the price hike, supporting revenue gains. In contrast, choice A is a distractor that is off-target, as valuing certain content does not address willingness to pay more for summaries. Choice B is irrelevant, as survey method does not strengthen the behavioral prediction.
A software company allowed employees to work from home two days per week. After six months, average project completion time decreased by 10%. Management concludes that remote work improves productivity and recommends expanding the policy to four days per week. Which of the following, if true, most strengthens the argument?
During the six months, the company also adopted a new project-management tool that automatically assigns tasks.
The company’s main competitor offers fully remote positions for many roles.
Teams that made the greatest use of remote days showed larger reductions in completion time than teams that rarely used remote days.
Some employees prefer to collaborate face-to-face rather than by video call.
Several employees reported that they used their commuting time to exercise more often.
Explanation
This question tests your ability to strengthen an argument by identifying evidence that supports the conclusion. Strengthening an argument involves providing information that makes the conclusion more likely to be true given the premises. The argument concludes that remote work improves productivity and recommends expansion, based on decreased project completion time after allowing two remote days. A vulnerability is that other tools or varying remote usage might have driven the improvement, not remote work itself. Choice C strengthens the argument by showing greater reductions in teams using remote days more, linking remote work directly to productivity gains. In contrast, choice B is a distractor that introduces an alternative cause, like the new project-management tool, which could explain the decrease. Choice D is irrelevant, as collaboration preferences do not address overall productivity impacts.
An environmental agency reports that after a factory installed a new filtration system, measured particulate pollution within one kilometer of the factory fell by 30% relative to the previous year. The agency concludes that requiring the same filtration system at similar factories will reduce particulate pollution across the region. Which of the following best bolsters the author’s reasoning?
The factory’s managers stated that the new filtration system was expensive to install.
Weather patterns in the measurement period were similar to those in the previous year, and no other major pollution-control measures were introduced near the factory.
Particulate pollution can come from vehicle traffic as well as from factories.
The agency has recently increased staffing for its regional inspection program.
The filtration system also reduces certain odors emitted by the factory.
Explanation
This question tests your ability to strengthen an argument by identifying evidence that supports the conclusion. Strengthening an argument involves providing information that makes the conclusion more likely to be true given the premises. The argument concludes that requiring the filtration system at similar factories will reduce regional particulate pollution, based on a decline near one factory after installation. A vulnerability is that weather changes or other measures could have caused the decline, not the system. Choice B strengthens the argument by ruling out weather and other interventions, isolating the system's effect. In contrast, choice C is a distractor that is off-target, as other pollution sources do not address the system's impact on factory emissions. Choice A is irrelevant, as installation costs do not bolster pollution reduction claims.
A school district introduced a later start time for high school students. In the first year, the average number of student absences per semester decreased from 6.1 to 5.4. The superintendent concludes that later start times reduce absences and recommends adopting the later start time for all middle schools as well. Which of the following, if true, most strengthens the argument?
The district’s bus routes became slightly longer after the start-time change.
The district’s high schools also introduced a new attendance-tracking software system that year.
Middle school students generally require fewer hours of sleep than high school students do.
High schools in neighboring districts that kept earlier start times did not see a similar decrease in absences during the same year.
Teachers reported that some students seemed more alert in first-period classes.
Explanation
This question tests your ability to strengthen an argument by identifying evidence that supports the conclusion. Strengthening an argument involves providing information that makes the conclusion more likely to be true given the premises. The argument concludes that later start times reduce absences and recommends adoption for middle schools, based on decreased high school absences after the change. A vulnerability is that external factors, like software or district-wide trends, might have influenced absences. Choice C strengthens the argument by showing no similar decrease in neighboring districts without the change, supporting causation. In contrast, choice A is a distractor that introduces an alternative cause, like new attendance software, which could explain the decrease. Choice B is irrelevant, as sleep differences between age groups do not address high school causation.
A museum introduced free admission on Friday evenings. In the following three months, total museum shop revenue increased by 15% compared with the same months the previous year. The museum director concludes that free Friday evening admission caused the increase and recommends extending free admission to Saturday afternoons to further increase shop revenue. Which statement provides the strongest support for the conclusion?
The museum’s exhibits were reviewed favorably by a local newspaper earlier in the year.
Saturday afternoons typically have higher attendance than Friday evenings.
The museum’s shop began selling a new line of branded merchandise during the same three months.
On free Friday evenings, the average shop spending per visitor was similar to the average spending per visitor at other times.
Many visitors report that they enjoy the museum’s café as well as its shop.
Explanation
This question tests your ability to strengthen an argument by identifying evidence that supports the conclusion. Strengthening an argument involves providing information that makes the conclusion more likely to be true given the premises. The argument concludes that free Friday evenings caused increased shop revenue and recommends extending to Saturdays, based on revenue rise after implementation. A vulnerability is that new merchandise or reviews might have driven revenue, not free admission. Choice B strengthens the argument by showing similar spending per visitor on free evenings, suggesting increased visitors from free admission boosted revenue. In contrast, choice A is a distractor that introduces an alternative cause, like new merchandise, which could explain the increase. Choice E is irrelevant, as attendance comparisons do not address revenue causation.