Lesson: Strengthen the Argument Questions

Question link: https://gmatclub.com/forum/the-maxilux-car-company-s-design-for-its-new-...

The conclusion is that, even though Rubco's bid only covers the cost of the tires, executives say they'll still make a profit.

(B) Rubco holds exclusive contracts to supply Maxilux with the tires for a number of other models made by Maxilux.
This isn't a bad answer. The problem is that it doesn't address the fact that Rubco's bid only covers the cost of the tires.
If the company isn't going to make any money on the tires, why not just withdraw the bid, and to make money on the other contracts Rubco has?

(D) When people who have purchased a carefully designed luxury automobile need to replace a worn part of it, they almost invariably replace it with a part of exactly the same make and type.
In this case, Rubco will still make money (indirectly) by having their tires on these vehicles.
So this particular contract and still be profitable for Rubco.

Does that help?

Question link: https://gmatclub.com/forum/the-eurasian-ruffe-a-fish-species-inadvertent...

The question stem asks "Which of the following, if true, would provide most support for the prediction that the agencies’ action will have its intended effect?"
The intended effect is described in the passage here: "To help TRACK THE RUFFE'S SPREAD, government agencies have..."

So the implied conclusion is: Distributing the wallet-sized cards will help track the ruffe’s spread
We're looking for an answer choice that strengthens this conclusion.

(B) Ruffe generally feed at night, but most recreational fishing on the Great Lakes is done during daytime hours.
If anything, this answer choice weakens the conclusion that the wallet-sized cards will help track the ruffe’s spread.
After all, if the whole plan depends on recreational fishers reporting any ruffe they catch, it will be hard to track the ruffe’s spread if nobody catches any ruffe (since ruffe feed at night, when no one is fishing).

(C) Most people who fish recreationally on the Great Lakes are interested in the preservation of the lake whitefish because it is a highly prized game fish.
As you might imagine, the wallet-sized cards won't be effective if the recreational fishers don't participate.
Answer choice C suggests that recreational fishers will want to participate in order to preserve the white fish.
As such, C strengthens the conclusion.

Here's my full solution: https://gmatclub.com/forum/a-recent-survey-found-that-more-computers-tha...

I place a big emphasis on identifying the conclusion because our goal is to find the answer choice that best strengthens the conclusion. So, if we haven't properly identified the conclusion, it's very difficult to determine what answer choice strengthens the conclusion.

This, however, doesn't mean the conclusion is the only thing that matters; the premises are also important. In fact, a common way to strengthen an argument is to support (or elaborate on) an existing premise.

As I mentioned in my comment above, conclusions and premises both play significant roles in analyzing any argument. However, for the most part, understanding the conclusion of an argument is imperative.