Unless more teachers are hired soon, the student-teacher ratio in scho...
Pre-Thinking
Conclusion Clarification
Per se, there is no main conclusion given in the argument. The argument gives us a situation and underlying reason for the same. However, the question stem takes the situation one step further and says: “Which of the following would be the most important for the school’s management to consider before deciding on hiring more teachers?” Therefore, we need to identify a question that can help the management take a firm decision on hiring more teachers. Hence the conclusion, for the purpose of evaluation, becomes: hiring more teachers is consistent with always maintaining a standard quality of teaching.
Pre-Thinking Approach
In order to evaluate the argument, we’ll pre-think assumptions and ask questions that can tell us whether they are correct or not. To do so, let’s see how we can falsify the conclusion. Let’s look at the logical structure, focusing on linkage 1. We will understand the conditions under which the conclusion is falsified. The assumption then will be that these conditions don’t exist.
Linkage#1
Falsification Condition: A scenario that shows that hiring more teachers will not help maintain the standard quality of GES’s teaching.
- Instance: The new hires might not be capable of maintaining the standard of quality in GES’s teaching.
- Assumption: The new hires will be capable of maintaining the standard of quality in GES’s teaching.
Any question that helps us evaluate the fundamental assumption made by the author will be the correct answer.
With this understanding in mind, let’s take a look at the answer choices.
Answer Choices
A
Whether the new people who are hired as teachers would otherwise be hired at other competing schools
Incorrect - Irrelevant
The argument focuses on the decision to hire new teachers to address the student – teacher ratio. Whether the teachers would be hired by competitors or not if hiring doesn’t happen is irrelevant.
B
Whether the curriculum presently followed by the school matches the standards of quality that the management wants to set
Incorrect - Irrelevant
The argument focuses on the maintenance of standard of quality by maintaining student – teacher ratio. Therefore, curriculum quality is of no relevance.
C
Whether the need to hire new teachers would lead to the selection of applicants who lack the qualifications and experience required to meet the existing standards
Correct
This option questions the validity of the argument by questioning the assumption that we identified in our pre-thinking analysis.
D
Whether the parents of most students would be willing to compromise on the standards guaranteed by the school
Incorrect - Irrelevant
The argument talks about the management’s actions to adhere to the quality in teaching. Therefore, parents’ willingness to compromise is of no relevance.
E
Whether the school would be able to take in a greater number of students if more teachers are hired
Incorrect - Irrelevant
The option does not address the quality maintenance in teaching.