GMAT Practice Question (One of Hundreds)
Thanks to his new camera, Roberto takes better pictures. The zoom is stronger, the image stabilization is smarter, the focus is quicker, the night mode is clearer, and the red-eye removal is more accurate. Right after Robert paid $600 dollars for a new camera and switched from his amateur camera to the newest professional model, he won the state photography competition that he had entered every year.
Which of the following, if true, most weakens the argument above?
Correct Answer: E
This argument in this question is flawed because it mistakenly assumes that because one event preceded another, the first caused the second. This statement makes two assumptions: that the new camera produced better pictures and that the better pictures were responsible for Roberto’s win. In fact, both photo quality and his win could have been caused by other factors.
- This is irrelevant.
- This answer choice wants you to assume that there was not much of a difference between the two cameras, but this is only an assumption. Just because the amateur model was good, it does not mean that the professional one was not significantly better.
- This suggests that Roberto won because the theme corresponded to his specialty, not because the camera took better pictures. We do not know enough to decide whether the camera or the theme was more responsible for his win. This choice does not strongly weaken the argument.
- This choice suggests that the new judges could be more partial to Roberto than the previous ones, suggesting another factor that could have led to his win. However, there is not enough information to conclude this.
- This is the strongest evidence that a factor other than the camera was responsible for an improvement in Robert’s photo quality. This is the correct answer.