Roland: The alarming fact is that 90 percent of the people in this country now report that they know someone who is unemployed.Sharon: But a normal, moderate level of unemployment is 5 percent, with 1 out of 20 workers unemployed. So at any given time if a person knows approximately 50 workers, 1 or more will very likely be unemployed.Sharons argument relies on the assumption thata)normal levels of unemployment are rarely exceededb)unemployment is not normally concentrated in geographically isolated segments of the populationc)the number of people who each know someone who is unemployed is always higher than 90% of the populationd)Roland is not consciously distorting the statistics he presentse)knowledge that a personal acquaintance is unemployed generates more fear of losing ones job than does knowledge of unemployment statisticsCorrect answer is option 'B'. Can you explain this answer?

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Roland: The alarming fact is that 90 percent of the people in this country now report that they know someone who is unemployed.

Sharon: But a normal, moderate level of unemployment is 5 percent, with 1 out of 20 workers unemployed. So at any given time if a person knows approximately 50 workers, 1 or more will very likely be unemployed.

Sharon's argument relies on the assumption that

a)
normal levels of unemployment are rarely exceeded
b)
unemployment is not normally concentrated in geographically isolated segments of the population
c)
the number of people who each know someone who is unemployed is always higher than 90% of the population
d)
Roland is not consciously distorting the statistics he presents
e)
knowledge that a personal acquaintance is unemployed generates more fear of losing one's job than does knowledge of unemployment statistics

Correct answer is option 'B'. Can you explain this answer?

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Roland: The alarming fact is that 90 percent of the people in this cou...

Roland states that 90 percent of the people in the country report knowing someone who is unemployed. Sharon counters this by pointing out that a normal, moderate level of unemployment is 5 percent, meaning that 1 out of 20 workers would be unemployed. Sharon concludes that if a person knows approximately 50 workers, it is very likely that 1 or more of them will be unemployed.

To identify the assumption on which Sharon's argument relies, let's examine the options:

(A) normal levels of unemployment are rarely exceeded:

This option introduces the concept of normal levels of unemployment, but it is not necessary for Sharon's argument. Sharon's argument is based on the idea that even with normal levels of unemployment, people are likely to know someone who is unemployed. Therefore, this option is not the correct assumption.

(B) unemployment is not normally concentrated in geographically isolated segments of the population:

This option aligns with Sharon's argument. Sharon assumes that people know a diverse group of workers and that unemployment is not limited to specific isolated segments of the population. If unemployment were concentrated in specific geographic areas, it would not be as likely for individuals to know someone who is unemployed. Therefore, this option is the correct assumption.

(C) the number of people who each know someone who is unemployed is always higher than 90% of the population:

This option focuses on the specific percentage mentioned by Roland, but Sharon's argument does not rely on this exact percentage. Sharon's argument is about the likelihood of knowing someone who is unemployed, regardless of the specific percentage. Therefore, this option is not the correct assumption.

(D) Roland is not consciously distorting the statistics he presents:

This option is unrelated to Sharon's argument. Whether Roland is distorting the statistics or not does not affect the logic of Sharon's argument. Therefore, this option is not the correct assumption.

(E) knowledge that a personal acquaintance is unemployed generates more fear of losing one's job than does knowledge of unemployment statistics:

This option introduces the concept of fear of losing one's job, which is not relevant to Sharon's argument. Sharon's argument is focused on the likelihood of knowing someone who is unemployed, not the emotional response to that knowledge. Therefore, this option is not the correct assumption.

In conclusion, the correct assumption on which Sharon's argument relies is (B) unemployment is not normally concentrated in geographically isolated segments of the population. This assumption supports Sharon's claim that knowing 50 workers would very likely include knowing someone who is unemployed.

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Roland: The alarming fact is that 90 percent of the people in this country now report that they know someone who is unemployed.Sharon: But a normal, moderate level of unemployment is 5 percent, with 1 out of 20 workers unemployed. So at any given time if a person knows approximately 50 workers, 1 or more will very likely be unemployed.Sharons argument relies on the assumption thata)normal levels of unemployment are rarely exceededb)unemployment is not normally concentrated in geographically isolated segments of the populationc)the number of people who each know someone who is unemployed is always higher than 90% of the populationd)Roland is not consciously distorting the statistics he presentse)knowledge that a personal acquaintance is unemployed generates more fear of losing ones job than does knowledge of unemployment statisticsCorrect answer is option 'B'. Can you explain this answer?

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Roland: The alarming fact is that 90 percent of the people in this country now report that they know someone who is unemployed.Sharon: But a normal, moderate level of unemployment is 5 percent, with 1 out of 20 workers unemployed. So at any given time if a person knows approximately 50 workers, 1 or more will very likely be unemployed.Sharons argument relies on the assumption thata)normal levels of unemployment are rarely exceededb)unemployment is not normally concentrated in geographically isolated segments of the populationc)the number of people who each know someone who is unemployed is always higher than 90% of the populationd)Roland is not consciously distorting the statistics he presentse)knowledge that a personal acquaintance is unemployed generates more fear of losing ones job than does knowledge of unemployment statisticsCorrect answer is option 'B'. Can you explain this answer? for GMAT 2024 is part of GMAT preparation. The Question and answers have been prepared according to the GMAT exam syllabus. Information about Roland: The alarming fact is that 90 percent of the people in this country now report that they know someone who is unemployed.Sharon: But a normal, moderate level of unemployment is 5 percent, with 1 out of 20 workers unemployed. So at any given time if a person knows approximately 50 workers, 1 or more will very likely be unemployed.Sharons argument relies on the assumption thata)normal levels of unemployment are rarely exceededb)unemployment is not normally concentrated in geographically isolated segments of the populationc)the number of people who each know someone who is unemployed is always higher than 90% of the populationd)Roland is not consciously distorting the statistics he presentse)knowledge that a personal acquaintance is unemployed generates more fear of losing ones job than does knowledge of unemployment statisticsCorrect answer is option 'B'. Can you explain this answer? covers all topics & solutions for GMAT 2024 Exam. Find important definitions, questions, meanings, examples, exercises and tests below for Roland: The alarming fact is that 90 percent of the people in this country now report that they know someone who is unemployed.Sharon: But a normal, moderate level of unemployment is 5 percent, with 1 out of 20 workers unemployed. So at any given time if a person knows approximately 50 workers, 1 or more will very likely be unemployed.Sharons argument relies on the assumption thata)normal levels of unemployment are rarely exceededb)unemployment is not normally concentrated in geographically isolated segments of the populationc)the number of people who each know someone who is unemployed is always higher than 90% of the populationd)Roland is not consciously distorting the statistics he presentse)knowledge that a personal acquaintance is unemployed generates more fear of losing ones job than does knowledge of unemployment statisticsCorrect answer is option 'B'. Can you explain this answer?.

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