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Dean of Talentia College: For the past few years, the reputation of our college has been declining, because of which we are now able to fill in only 70% of the total available seats. If more research work is done in the college, it will create more visibility and hence more students will start applying to our college. Accordingly, we will be able to increase the student count.
Which of the following, if true, raises the most serious doubt regarding the effectiveness of the Dean’s plan in increasing the student count at the college?
  • a)
    Increase in research will lead to increased expenditure to compensate for which the college will have to in turn increase the tuition fee that is already considered quite high by applicants.
  • b)
    To maintain the required teacher-student ratio, the college will have to hire many new professors.
  • c)
    Almost 10% of the student applications are rejected by the college each year.
  • d)
    Another college in the area that offers the same courses as Talentia was unsuccessful in increasing its visibility by increasing its engagement in research work.
  • e)
    The Government will not increase the funding for Talentia, even if the college increases the research work it is doing.
Correct answer is option 'A'. Can you explain this answer?
Verified Answer
Dean of Talentia College: For the past few years, the reputation of ou...
Dean of Talentia College: For the past few years, the reputation of our college has been declining, because of which we are now able to fill in only 70% of the total available seats. If more research work is done in the college, it will create more visibility and hence more students will start applying to our college. Accordingly, we will be able to increase the student count.
Which of the following, if true, raises the most serious doubt regarding the effectiveness of the Dean’s plan in increasing the student count at the college?
Argument Analysis
 
Pre-Thinking
Conclusion Clarification
N/A
Pre-Thinking Approach
Let’s see how we can make the conclusion less believable.  To do so, we will look at the logical structure, focusing on linkages 1, 2, 3 and 4.  Note that as we focus on a particular linkage, we will keep the other linkages in mind as well.
Linkage#1Higher research work will lead to higher visibility
  • Weakener – What if despite the increase in research work, there is no increase in the visibility of the same among prospective students?
    • Instance: The research work done by various colleges is normally covered only by field specific journals that prospective students do not usually have access to. 
In the above scenario, it is possible that prospective applicants may not learn about the research activities undertaken by Talentia college.
Linkage#2Higher visibility will lead to higher student applications
  • Weakener – What if despite the increase in the visibility of the research work, there is no increase in the student application?
    • Instance: Various surveys have shown that most prospective college students consider institutions with high research work as incapable of providing a much sought - after holistic education experience that includes informal peer interaction along with academia.
Linkage#4Higher research work will lead to higher student count
  • Weakener – What if the research work taken by the college somehow discourages prospective students to apply at the college?
    • Instance: The college intends to make up for the expenditure incurred on new research activities by increasing the college fee, which is already considered quite high by prospective applicants.
With this understanding in mind, let’s move on to the answer-choice analysis. 
Answer Choices
A
Increase in research will lead to increased expenditure to compensate for which the college will have to in turn increase the tuition fee that is already considered quite high by applicants.
Correct
This choice is written along the lines of our pre-thinking per Linkage #4.
B
To maintain the required teacher-student ratio, the college will have to hire many new professors.
Incorrect - Irrelevant
This choice represents a consequence of getting more students. This doesn’t imply that the school will not get more students through the dean’s plan.
C
Almost 10% of the student applications are rejected by the college each year.
Incorrect - Irrelevant
This option doesn’t decrease our belief in the effectiveness of the dean’s plan. Even if 10% of the new applications are rejected, the student count can still increase substantially if the dean’s plan is effective.
D
Another college in the area that offers the same courses as Talentia was unsuccessful in increasing its visibility by increasing its engagement in research work.
Incorrect - Irrelevant
Just because another college was unsuccessful in increasing visibility through research doesn’t mean the same will happen to Talentia. A conclusion can’t be drawn in this case because there is only one data point. It’s possible that there are several other colleges that have increased visibility through research. So we can’t comment on the effectiveness of the dean’s plan until we get data regarding whether visibility can usually be increased through research.
E
The Government will not increase the funding for Talentia, even if the college increases the research work it is doing.
Incorrect - Irrelevant
Neither the passage nor the choice establishes a link between a lack of government funding and dean’s plan to carry on more research activities at the college. 
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American companies may find the solution to their performance related problems in their own backyard. A recently conducted independent study shows that in the business world, social and political skills have become the real key to getting ahead in organisations, skills that successful managers use to their advantage. The study found out that successful managers, those who get promoted relatively quickly vis--vis effective managers, perform day to day activities that are more or less dissimilar to the ones conducted by effective managers or those who have satisfied, committed subordinates, in addition to high performing units. Accordingly, it comes as no surprise that networking, which consists of socializing or politicking and interacting with others, was one activity that, out of the core four activities among the plethora of activities performed by managers, topped the list for successful managers but was ranked the lowest in the list of activities performed by the effective ones. Indeed the findings of the study do not negate the reality that there are managers who strike a balance between the activities performed by both types of managers and hence are successful and effective at the same time, but the meagre percentage such managers formed of the studys sample, barely ten percent, affirms the general divide between successful and effective managers.These findings clearly belie the traditional assumption typically suggested by formal personnel policies that promotions are based purely on performance. In effect, the studys implications affirm the cynical, yet what now seems real, view that people who are not necessarily the most accomplishing in terms of performing well in the other three key activity areas, namely communication, traditional management, and human resource management, are being promoted to the top level. Therefore, American companies looking to improve their performance and productivity need to ensure that formal rewards, especially promotions, are tied to performance. This way companies will be promoting a work-culture that turns effective managers in to successful managers and gives the currently successful managers a chance to effectively focus on productivity and not just on socializing and politicking.Which of the following is mentioned in the passage?

American companies may find the solution to their performance related problems in their own backyard. A recently conducted independent study shows that in the business world, social and political skills have become the real key to getting ahead in organisations, skills that successful managers use to their advantage. The study found out that successful managers, those who get promoted relatively quickly vis--vis effective managers, perform day to day activities that are more or less dissimilar to the ones conducted by effective managers or those who have satisfied, committed subordinates, in addition to high performing units. Accordingly, it comes as no surprise that networking, which consists of socializing or politicking and interacting with others, was one activity that, out of the core four activities among the plethora of activities performed by managers, topped the list for successful managers but was ranked the lowest in the list of activities performed by the effective ones. Indeed the findings of the study do not negate the reality that there are managers who strike a balance between the activities performed by both types of managers and hence are successful and effective at the same time, but the meagre percentage such managers formed of the studys sample, barely ten percent, affirms the general divide between successful and effective managers.These findings clearly belie the traditional assumption typically suggested by formal personnel policies that promotions are based purely on performance. In effect, the studys implications affirm the cynical, yet what now seems real, view that people who are not necessarily the most accomplishing in terms of performing well in the other three key activity areas, namely communication, traditional management, and human resource management, are being promoted to the top level. Therefore, American companies looking to improve their performance and productivity need to ensure that formal rewards, especially promotions, are tied to performance. This way companies will be promoting a work-culture that turns effective managers in to successful managers and gives the currently successful managers a chance to effectively focus on productivity and not just on socializing and politicking.The author is primarily concerned with

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Read the passage and answer the question given below.American companies may find the solution to their performance related problems in their own backyard. A recently conducted independent study shows that in the business world, social and political skills have become the real key to getting ahead in organisations, skills that successful managers use to their advantage. The study found out that successful managers, those who get promoted relatively quickly vis-à-vis effective managers, perform day to day activities that are more or less dissimilar to the ones conducted by effective managers or those who have satisfied, committed subordinates, in addition to high performing units. Accordingly, it comes as no surprise that networking, which consists of socializing or politicking and interacting with others, was one activity that, out of the core four activities among the plethora of activities performed by managers, topped the list for successful managers but was ranked the lowest in the list of activities performed by the effective ones. Indeed the findings of the study do not negate the reality that there are managers who strike a balance between the activities performed by both types of managers and hence are successful and effective at the same time, but the meagre percentage such managers formed of the study’s sample, barely ten percent, affirms the general divide between successful and effective managers.These findings clearly belie the traditional assumption typically suggested by formal personnel policies that promotions are based purely on performance. In effect, the study’s implications affirm the cynical, yet what now seems real, view that people who are not necessarily the most accomplishing in terms of performing well in the other three key activity areas, namely communication, traditional management, and human resource management, are being promoted to the top level. Therefore, American companies looking to improve their performance and productivity need to ensure that formal rewards, especially promotions, are tied to performance. This way companies will be promoting a work-culture that turns effective managers in to successful managers and gives the currently successful managers a chance to effectively focus on productivity and not just on socializing and politicking.Q. Which of the following is mentioned in the passage?

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Dean of Talentia College: For the past few years, the reputation of our college has been declining, because of which we are now able to fill in only 70% of the total available seats. If more research work is done in the college, it will create more visibility and hence more students will start applying to our college. Accordingly, we will be able to increase the student count.Which of the following, if true, raises the most serious doubt regarding the effectiveness of the Dean’s plan in increasing the student count at the college?a)Increase in research will lead to increased expenditure to compensate for which the college will have to in turn increase the tuition fee that is already considered quite high by applicants.b)To maintain the required teacher-student ratio, the college will have to hire many new professors.c)Almost 10% of the student applications are rejected by the college each year.d)Another college in the area that offers the same courses as Talentia was unsuccessful in increasing its visibility by increasing its engagement in research work.e)The Government will not increase the funding for Talentia, even if the college increases the research work it is doing.Correct answer is option 'A'. Can you explain this answer?
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Dean of Talentia College: For the past few years, the reputation of our college has been declining, because of which we are now able to fill in only 70% of the total available seats. If more research work is done in the college, it will create more visibility and hence more students will start applying to our college. Accordingly, we will be able to increase the student count.Which of the following, if true, raises the most serious doubt regarding the effectiveness of the Dean’s plan in increasing the student count at the college?a)Increase in research will lead to increased expenditure to compensate for which the college will have to in turn increase the tuition fee that is already considered quite high by applicants.b)To maintain the required teacher-student ratio, the college will have to hire many new professors.c)Almost 10% of the student applications are rejected by the college each year.d)Another college in the area that offers the same courses as Talentia was unsuccessful in increasing its visibility by increasing its engagement in research work.e)The Government will not increase the funding for Talentia, even if the college increases the research work it is doing.Correct answer is option 'A'. 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 Dean of Talentia College: For the past few years, the reputation of our college has been declining, because of which we are now able to fill in only 70% of the total available seats. If more research work is done in the college, it will create more visibility and hence more students will start applying to our college. Accordingly, we will be able to increase the student count.Which of the following, if true, raises the most serious doubt regarding the effectiveness of the Dean’s plan in increasing the student count at the college?a)Increase in research will lead to increased expenditure to compensate for which the college will have to in turn increase the tuition fee that is already considered quite high by applicants.b)To maintain the required teacher-student ratio, the college will have to hire many new professors.c)Almost 10% of the student applications are rejected by the college each year.d)Another college in the area that offers the same courses as Talentia was unsuccessful in increasing its visibility by increasing its engagement in research work.e)The Government will not increase the funding for Talentia, even if the college increases the research work it is doing.Correct answer is option 'A'. Can you explain this answer? covers all topics & solutions for GMAT 2025 Exam. Find important definitions, questions, meanings, examples, exercises and tests below for Dean of Talentia College: For the past few years, the reputation of our college has been declining, because of which we are now able to fill in only 70% of the total available seats. If more research work is done in the college, it will create more visibility and hence more students will start applying to our college. Accordingly, we will be able to increase the student count.Which of the following, if true, raises the most serious doubt regarding the effectiveness of the Dean’s plan in increasing the student count at the college?a)Increase in research will lead to increased expenditure to compensate for which the college will have to in turn increase the tuition fee that is already considered quite high by applicants.b)To maintain the required teacher-student ratio, the college will have to hire many new professors.c)Almost 10% of the student applications are rejected by the college each year.d)Another college in the area that offers the same courses as Talentia was unsuccessful in increasing its visibility by increasing its engagement in research work.e)The Government will not increase the funding for Talentia, even if the college increases the research work it is doing.Correct answer is option 'A'. Can you explain this answer?.
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Accordingly, we will be able to increase the student count.Which of the following, if true, raises the most serious doubt regarding the effectiveness of the Dean’s plan in increasing the student count at the college?a)Increase in research will lead to increased expenditure to compensate for which the college will have to in turn increase the tuition fee that is already considered quite high by applicants.b)To maintain the required teacher-student ratio, the college will have to hire many new professors.c)Almost 10% of the student applications are rejected by the college each year.d)Another college in the area that offers the same courses as Talentia was unsuccessful in increasing its visibility by increasing its engagement in research work.e)The Government will not increase the funding for Talentia, even if the college increases the research work it is doing.Correct answer is option 'A'. 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Accordingly, we will be able to increase the student count.Which of the following, if true, raises the most serious doubt regarding the effectiveness of the Dean’s plan in increasing the student count at the college?a)Increase in research will lead to increased expenditure to compensate for which the college will have to in turn increase the tuition fee that is already considered quite high by applicants.b)To maintain the required teacher-student ratio, the college will have to hire many new professors.c)Almost 10% of the student applications are rejected by the college each year.d)Another college in the area that offers the same courses as Talentia was unsuccessful in increasing its visibility by increasing its engagement in research work.e)The Government will not increase the funding for Talentia, even if the college increases the research work it is doing.Correct answer is option 'A'. 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Accordingly, we will be able to increase the student count.Which of the following, if true, raises the most serious doubt regarding the effectiveness of the Dean’s plan in increasing the student count at the college?a)Increase in research will lead to increased expenditure to compensate for which the college will have to in turn increase the tuition fee that is already considered quite high by applicants.b)To maintain the required teacher-student ratio, the college will have to hire many new professors.c)Almost 10% of the student applications are rejected by the college each year.d)Another college in the area that offers the same courses as Talentia was unsuccessful in increasing its visibility by increasing its engagement in research work.e)The Government will not increase the funding for Talentia, even if the college increases the research work it is doing.Correct answer is option 'A'. 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Accordingly, we will be able to increase the student count.Which of the following, if true, raises the most serious doubt regarding the effectiveness of the Dean’s plan in increasing the student count at the college?a)Increase in research will lead to increased expenditure to compensate for which the college will have to in turn increase the tuition fee that is already considered quite high by applicants.b)To maintain the required teacher-student ratio, the college will have to hire many new professors.c)Almost 10% of the student applications are rejected by the college each year.d)Another college in the area that offers the same courses as Talentia was unsuccessful in increasing its visibility by increasing its engagement in research work.e)The Government will not increase the funding for Talentia, even if the college increases the research work it is doing.Correct answer is option 'A'. Can you explain this answer? tests, examples and also practice GMAT tests.
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