GMAT Critical Reasoning - Columnist: The Country is Presently Debating Legislation

Question: Columnist: The country is presently debating legislation that, if passed, would force manufacturers to increase the number of paid vacation days for employees, to pay higher overtime wages, and to pay all day-care expenses for children of each employee. This legislation is being supported by members of groups that have resorted to violent tactics in the past, and by individuals who are facing indictment on tax-evasion charges. We must defeat this legislation and what it stands for.

The columnist’s argument is flawed because it

(A) attack’s legislation by calling into question the integrity of the originators of the legislation
(B) assails legislation on the basis of the questionable character of supporters of the legislation
(C) attempts to discredit legislation by appealing to public sentiment for those who would be adversely affected
(D) presupposes that legislation is bad legislation whenever it has only a small number of supporters outside the country’s national legislative body
(E) rejects legislation on the ground that its supporters are inconsistently in seeking to place burdens on manufacturers upon whose business success the supporters depend

“Columnist: The country is presently debating legislation” - is a GMAT critical reasoning topic. This GMAT critical comes with five options and candidates need to choose the one which is correct. GMAT critical reasoning tests the logical and analytical skills of the candidates. To answer the question, a candidate can either find a piece of evidence that would weaken the argument or have logical flaws in the argument. Candidates get 65 minutes to answer 36 MCQ questions in the critical reasoning section of the GMAT.

Answer: B
Explanation: In this GMAT critical reasoning question type, candidates need to strengthen an argument by providing a piece of supportive evidence or statement.

The argument states:

Hypothesis I: The legislation intends the followings:

1. increase the number of paid vacation days for employees
2. pay higher overtime wages
3. pay all day-care expenses

Hypothesis II: The intention of the legislation is supported by

1. members of groups that have resorted to violent tactics
2. individuals who are facing indictment on tax-evasion charges

Conclusion: The Columnist intends that the legislation must be defeated

Now, let us go through the assumptions to find the reason why the columnist’s argument is flawed:

Option (A) Incorrect
- This statement provides details about the originators of this legislation. They do not discuss the reason for this conclusion.

Option (B) Correct
- This statement states that the legislation is criticized. The reason behind it is that some people support this legislation. They found that people have questionable character. Hence option (B) is the correct answer.

Option (C) Incorrect
- This statement does not appeal to anyone. Furthermore, it demonstrates the effects of legislation. If it would have passed. There is a group of supporters of this legislation.

Option (D) Incorrect
- This statement states the number of supporters. But it does not clarify whether supporters are part of the legislative body or unknown.

Option (E) Incorrect
- This statement is out of scope. The information is not discussed in the given passage.

Suggested GMAT Critical Reasoning Samples

• GMAT Critical Reasoning- Johnson is on Firm Ground When he Asserts that the Early Editors of Dickinsons Poetry
• GMAT Critical Reasoning- In an Experiment, Some Volunteers were Assigned to Take Aerobics Classes
• GMAT Critical Reasoning- Modern navigation systems, which are found in most of today’s commerce
• GMAT Critical Reasoning- In a monogamous culture, 100% of the adults are married.
• GMAT Critical Reasoning- A minority but influential investor in Quell has recently claimed that the company's stock is undervalued
• GMAT Critical Reasoning- Although the first humans came to Australia 56,000 years ago
• GMAT Critical Reasoning- Art Historian: Recently, Computer Analysis has Revealed that a Few of Famous Flemish Artists
• GMAT Critical Reasoning- In their search for Mayan ruins in the jungles of Guatemala
• GMAT Critical Reasoning- The total amount of profits of Brandenburg Bicycle Company (BBC)
• GMAT Critical Reasoning- If Martin introduces an amendment to Evans’s bill
• GMAT Critical Reasoning- Literary critics are concerned by a recent trend in book publishing
• GMAT Critical Reasoning- Studies show that children who listen to too much classic music are more likely than others to become silent adults
• GMAT Critical Reasoning- Until recently it was thought that ink used before the sixteenth century did not contain titanium.
• GMAT Critical Reasoning- During a recent excavation, fragments of a ceremonial urn dating back
• GMAT Critical Reasoning- On most side streets in the United States, the speed limit
• GMAT Critical Reasoning- Arnold: I was recently denied a seat on an airline flight
• GMAT Critical Reasoning- Whenever a major political scandal erupts before an election and voters blame the scandal on all parties
• GMAT Critical Reasoning- Women Who are Married Sleep More Soundly
• GMAT Critical Reasoning- In anticipation of the coming year, Tecumseh Autos
• GMAT Critical Reasoning- In the mid-1990s the United States Supreme Court rendered