The Average Hourly Wage of Television Assemblers in Vernland has long been Significantly Lower than that in Neighboring Borodia.

Question: The average hourly wage of television assemblers in Vernland has long been significantly lower than that in neighboring Borodia. Since Borodia dropped all tariffs on Vernlandian televisions three years ago, the number of televisions sold annually in Borodia has not changed. However, recent statistics show a drop in the number of television assemblers in Borodia. Therefore, updated trade statistics will probably indicate that the number of televisions Borodia imports annually from Vernland has increased.

Which of the following is an assumption on which the argument depends?

(A) The number of television assemblers in Vernland has increased by at least as much as the number of television assemblers in Borodia has decreased.
(B) Televisions assembled in Vernland have features that televisions assembled in Borodia do not have.
(C) The average number of hours it takes a Borodian television assembler to assemble a television has not decreased significantly during the past three years.
(D) The number of televisions assembled annually in Vernland has increased significantly during the past three years.
(E) The difference between the hourly wage of television assemblers in Vernland and the hourly wage of television assemblers in Borodia is likely to decrease in the next few years.

“The average hourly wage of television assemblers in Vernland has long been significantly lower than that in neighboring Borodia.”- is a GMAT critical reasoning passage with answers. This particular GMAT critical reasoning topic has been taken from the book “GMAT Paper Tests.”

Candidates need a strong knowledge of English GMAT critical reasoning. This GMAT critical reasoning question consists of a comprehension question and 4 options to choose from. The GMAT critical reasoning questions are designed for the purpose of testing candidates’ abilities. They are tested on understanding, analyzing, and applying information or concepts.

Answer: C
Explanation: This is a GMAT critical reasoning question. We have to find the option that serves as an assumption on which the above argument depends.

Let’s go through each of the available options and choose the most suitable one.

Option A: The number of television assemblers in Vernland has increased by at least as much as the number of television assemblers in Borodia has decreased.

This option is incorrect because it is not mentioned at what rate the Vernlandian assemblers and Borodian assemblers can assemble televisions. It is possible that they assemble televisions three times as fast as the Borodians. If that is true, we need only 100 Vernlandians to replace the output of 300 Borodians. It can’t serve as an assumption. So, Option A is incorrect.

Option B: Televisions assembled in Vernland have features that televisions assembled in Borodia do not have.

This option is incorrect because in case Vernland televisions. It had the exact same features as Borodian televisions, then it is possible that Borodia would be willing to import the Vernlandian televisions. To meet the demand and if that’s not the case, that can possibly weaken the argument. So, Option B is incorrect.

Option C: The average number of hours it takes a Borodian television assembler to assemble a television has not decreased significantly during the past three years.

This option is correct because the argument in the sentence is based on the idea that Borodia's television supply has decreased. This is because the number of Borodian assemblers has gone down. But it is possible that the supply of Borodia becomes more efficient and it may also adopt new technology to make televisions faster. The demand for assemblers will decrease. We have to assume that their productivity has not improved, in order to prove the argument true. So, Option C is correct.

Option D: The number of televisions assembled annually in Vernland has increased significantly during the past three years.

This option is incorrect because it is not a required situation. It is possible that Vernland has an excess supply of televisions that could be sold to Borodia. Thus, Vernland could export more televisions to Borodia without significantly increasing the number of televisions it assembles on an annual basis. Option D is incorrect.

Option E: The difference between the hourly wage of television assemblers in Vernland. The hourly wage of television assemblers in Borodia is likely to decrease in the next few years.

This option is incorrect because this argument has nothing to do with wages. The passage says nothing about wages or how the difference between the hourly wage can impact the television assembly in the next few years. Since it is not relevant to the passage, Option E is incorrect.

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