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Several studies conducted over a decade have shown that most of the people in the mountain states of the US listen to music primarily in an active manner: i.e. they listen specifically to listen rather than being in a space where music is playing in the background. On the other hand, the majority of people in the coastal states of the US primarily consume their music in a passive manner. As they are trying to attract as many active listeners as possible, record labels should conduct maximum marketing activities in the mountain states and not in the coastal ones.Which of the following indicates a flaw in the author’s reasoning?
  • a)
    The author doesn’t take into account the possibility that there might be far fewer restaurants and pubs, places where music plays in the background, in the mountain states.
  • b)
    The author doesn’t consider listeners who consume their music in both possible ways.
  • c)
    Coastal states can have more active listeners than mountain states.
  • d)
    The author does not account for the fact that listening to music in an active way in the mountain states may only be a passing phase.
  • e)
    Word of mouth recommendations can sometimes be more effective than marketing activities.
Correct answer is option 'C'. Can you explain this answer?
Verified Answer
Several studies conducted over a decade have shown that most of the pe...
Argument Analysis
Pre-Thinking
Conclusion Clarification
The argument concludes that in order to attract as many active listeners as possible, record labels should conduct maximum marketing activities in the mountain states and not in the coastal ones because most of the people in MS listen to music in an active manner, whereas, most people in CS listen to music in a passive manner.
Pre-Thinking Approach
To pre-think a flaw in the reasoning, let’s see how we can falsify this conclusion.  To do so, we will look at the logical structure, focusing on linkage 1 and the conclusion.  We will understand the condition under which the conclusion is falsified. Thus, the flaw would be a logical gap in author’s reasoning used to reach the stated conclusion.
Linkage#1 – (ref. logical structure)
  • Falsification Condition:  What if the overall population of CS is significantly greater than that of MS? The phrase “most of the people” means “at least 51% of the people”.  Even though the proportion of active listeners is lower in CS, it’s possible that absolute number of active listeners is greater in CS than in MS if the total population of CS is more than that of MS. Clearly, in such a case, the recommendation will not be fruitful and thus the conclusion will not hold.
  • Flaw:  The argument is vulnerable to the criticism that it confuses the proportion of people with absolute number of people and thus while drawing the conclusion it doesn’t take in account the total population of both the regions.
With this pre-thinking in mind, let’s evaluate the answer choices.
Answer Choices
A
The author doesn’t take into account the possibility that there might be far fewer restaurants and pubs, places where music plays in the background, in the mountain states.
Incorrect- Irrelevant
The reason for number of listeners is not important to the argument.
B
The author doesn’t consider listeners who consume their music in both possible ways.
Incorrect- No flaw
The argument does categorise the profile of listeners based on how these listeners primarily listen to music. This fact takes care of even those listeners who possibly consume music in both ways.
C
Coastal states can have more active listeners than mountain states.
Correct
This choice is written along the lines of our pre-thinking per Linkage #1.  CS can have more population than MS so that the absolute number of listeners in CS is more even when the proportion is lesser.
D
The author does not account for the fact that listening to music in an active way in the mountain states may only be a passing phase.
Incorrect – Irrelevant
The author makes the recommendation on the basis of studies conducted over a decade. Hence, the “passing phase” angle is not relevant here.
E
Word of mouth recommendations can sometimes be more effective than marketing activities.
Incorrect – Irrelevant
The argument only focuses on marketing activities and thus comparative effectiveness of word of mouth recommendations is not relevant to the argument.
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Most Upvoted Answer
Several studies conducted over a decade have shown that most of the pe...
Flaw in the Author's Reasoning:

Incorrect Assumption:
- The author assumes that the majority of people in the coastal states consume music passively, without considering the possibility that coastal states could have more active listeners than mountain states.

Counterpoint:
- It is possible that there are thriving music scenes in coastal states, with a high number of music enthusiasts who actively engage with music. These states may have vibrant music communities, venues, and events that attract active listeners.

Limitation of the Study:
- The studies mentioned in the argument may not have considered all factors that influence music consumption habits. Factors such as cultural differences, demographic trends, and regional music preferences could impact how people in different states engage with music.

Conclusion:
- The author's conclusion that record labels should focus marketing activities in the mountain states based on the assumption of passive music consumption in coastal states is flawed. It is essential to consider the diversity of music consumption habits across different regions and not make broad generalizations based on limited studies.
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Several studies conducted over a decade have shown that most of the people in the mountain states of the US listen to music primarily in an active manner: i.e. they listen specifically to listen rather than being in a space where music is playing in the background. On the other hand, the majority of people in the coastal states of the US primarily consume their music in a passive manner. As they are trying to attract as many active listeners as possible, record labels should conduct maximum marketing activities in the mountain states and not in the coastal ones.Which of the following indicates a flaw in the author’s reasoning?a)The author doesn’t take into account the possibility that there might be far fewer restaurants and pubs, places where music plays in the background, in the mountain states.b)The author doesn’t consider listeners who consume their music in both possible ways.c)Coastal states can have more active listeners than mountain states.d)The author does not account for the fact that listening to music in an active way in the mountain states may only be a passing phase.e)Word of mouth recommendations can sometimes be more effective than marketing activities.Correct answer is option 'C'. Can you explain this answer?
Question Description
Several studies conducted over a decade have shown that most of the people in the mountain states of the US listen to music primarily in an active manner: i.e. they listen specifically to listen rather than being in a space where music is playing in the background. On the other hand, the majority of people in the coastal states of the US primarily consume their music in a passive manner. As they are trying to attract as many active listeners as possible, record labels should conduct maximum marketing activities in the mountain states and not in the coastal ones.Which of the following indicates a flaw in the author’s reasoning?a)The author doesn’t take into account the possibility that there might be far fewer restaurants and pubs, places where music plays in the background, in the mountain states.b)The author doesn’t consider listeners who consume their music in both possible ways.c)Coastal states can have more active listeners than mountain states.d)The author does not account for the fact that listening to music in an active way in the mountain states may only be a passing phase.e)Word of mouth recommendations can sometimes be more effective than marketing activities.Correct answer is option 'C'. Can you explain this answer? for GMAT 2025 is part of GMAT preparation. The Question and answers have been prepared according to the GMAT exam syllabus. Information about Several studies conducted over a decade have shown that most of the people in the mountain states of the US listen to music primarily in an active manner: i.e. they listen specifically to listen rather than being in a space where music is playing in the background. On the other hand, the majority of people in the coastal states of the US primarily consume their music in a passive manner. As they are trying to attract as many active listeners as possible, record labels should conduct maximum marketing activities in the mountain states and not in the coastal ones.Which of the following indicates a flaw in the author’s reasoning?a)The author doesn’t take into account the possibility that there might be far fewer restaurants and pubs, places where music plays in the background, in the mountain states.b)The author doesn’t consider listeners who consume their music in both possible ways.c)Coastal states can have more active listeners than mountain states.d)The author does not account for the fact that listening to music in an active way in the mountain states may only be a passing phase.e)Word of mouth recommendations can sometimes be more effective than marketing activities.Correct answer is option 'C'. Can you explain this answer? covers all topics & solutions for GMAT 2025 Exam. Find important definitions, questions, meanings, examples, exercises and tests below for Several studies conducted over a decade have shown that most of the people in the mountain states of the US listen to music primarily in an active manner: i.e. they listen specifically to listen rather than being in a space where music is playing in the background. On the other hand, the majority of people in the coastal states of the US primarily consume their music in a passive manner. As they are trying to attract as many active listeners as possible, record labels should conduct maximum marketing activities in the mountain states and not in the coastal ones.Which of the following indicates a flaw in the author’s reasoning?a)The author doesn’t take into account the possibility that there might be far fewer restaurants and pubs, places where music plays in the background, in the mountain states.b)The author doesn’t consider listeners who consume their music in both possible ways.c)Coastal states can have more active listeners than mountain states.d)The author does not account for the fact that listening to music in an active way in the mountain states may only be a passing phase.e)Word of mouth recommendations can sometimes be more effective than marketing activities.Correct answer is option 'C'. Can you explain this answer?.
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As they are trying to attract as many active listeners as possible, record labels should conduct maximum marketing activities in the mountain states and not in the coastal ones.Which of the following indicates a flaw in the author’s reasoning?a)The author doesn’t take into account the possibility that there might be far fewer restaurants and pubs, places where music plays in the background, in the mountain states.b)The author doesn’t consider listeners who consume their music in both possible ways.c)Coastal states can have more active listeners than mountain states.d)The author does not account for the fact that listening to music in an active way in the mountain states may only be a passing phase.e)Word of mouth recommendations can sometimes be more effective than marketing activities.Correct answer is option 'C'. 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As they are trying to attract as many active listeners as possible, record labels should conduct maximum marketing activities in the mountain states and not in the coastal ones.Which of the following indicates a flaw in the author’s reasoning?a)The author doesn’t take into account the possibility that there might be far fewer restaurants and pubs, places where music plays in the background, in the mountain states.b)The author doesn’t consider listeners who consume their music in both possible ways.c)Coastal states can have more active listeners than mountain states.d)The author does not account for the fact that listening to music in an active way in the mountain states may only be a passing phase.e)Word of mouth recommendations can sometimes be more effective than marketing activities.Correct answer is option 'C'. 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As they are trying to attract as many active listeners as possible, record labels should conduct maximum marketing activities in the mountain states and not in the coastal ones.Which of the following indicates a flaw in the author’s reasoning?a)The author doesn’t take into account the possibility that there might be far fewer restaurants and pubs, places where music plays in the background, in the mountain states.b)The author doesn’t consider listeners who consume their music in both possible ways.c)Coastal states can have more active listeners than mountain states.d)The author does not account for the fact that listening to music in an active way in the mountain states may only be a passing phase.e)Word of mouth recommendations can sometimes be more effective than marketing activities.Correct answer is option 'C'. Can you explain this answer? theory, EduRev gives you an ample number of questions to practice Several studies conducted over a decade have shown that most of the people in the mountain states of the US listen to music primarily in an active manner: i.e. they listen specifically to listen rather than being in a space where music is playing in the background. On the other hand, the majority of people in the coastal states of the US primarily consume their music in a passive manner. As they are trying to attract as many active listeners as possible, record labels should conduct maximum marketing activities in the mountain states and not in the coastal ones.Which of the following indicates a flaw in the author’s reasoning?a)The author doesn’t take into account the possibility that there might be far fewer restaurants and pubs, places where music plays in the background, in the mountain states.b)The author doesn’t consider listeners who consume their music in both possible ways.c)Coastal states can have more active listeners than mountain states.d)The author does not account for the fact that listening to music in an active way in the mountain states may only be a passing phase.e)Word of mouth recommendations can sometimes be more effective than marketing activities.Correct answer is option 'C'. Can you explain this answer? tests, examples and also practice GMAT tests.
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