The General Availability Of High-Quality Electronic Scanners GMAT Critical Reasoning

Question: The general availability of high-quality electronic scanners and color printers for computers has made the counterfeiting of checks much easier. In order to deter such counterfeiting, several banks plan to issue to their corporate customers checks that contain dots too small to be accurately duplicated by any electronic scanner currently available; when such checks are scanned and printed, the dots seem to blend together in such a way that the word “VOID” appears on the check.

A questionable assumption of the plan is that

(A) in the territory served by the banks the proportion of counterfeit checks that are made using electronic scanners has remained approximately constant over the past few years
(B) most counterfeiters who use electronic scanners counterfeit checks only for relatively large amounts of money
(C) the smallest dots on the proposed checks cannot be distinguished visually except under strong magnification
(D) most corporations served by these banks will not have to pay more for the new checks than for traditional checks
(E) the size of the smallest dots that generally available electronic scanners are able to reproduce accurately will not decrease significantly in the near future

“The general availability of high-quality electronic scanners” - is a GMAT question requiring critical thought. A candidate may choose to present an illogical argument or look for evidence to contradict it in order to address the question. The GMAT critical reasoning test assesses a candidate's analytical and logical skills. Candidates must identify the argument's advantages, disadvantages, and logical flaws with regard to this topic. The CR section of the 36 GMAT verbal questions consists of ten to thirteen critical reasoning questions.

Answer: (E)
Explanation: Check forgery has become much simpler thanks to the widespread availability of high-quality electronic scanners and color printers for computers. These banks plan to give their corporate customers checks that have dots on them that are too small to be accurately duplicated by any electronic scanner currently in use. When these checks are scanned and printed, the dots appear to blend together in such a way that the word "VOID" appears on the check. This is done by several banks in an effort to discourage such counterfeiting.

Questionable assumption is a tricky phrase. Simply put, we are looking for something necessary for the conclusion to be correct here. Let's evaluate each option to determine which is best.

Option – A : Incorrect
This option states that over the past few years, the percentage of counterfeit checks created using electronic scanners has remained roughly constant in the area served by the banks. We must identify the option to support the conclusion This option offers a broad observation unrelated to the argument. It doesn't matter if the proportion of checks has increased or decreased. As a result this option is eliminated.

Option – B : Incorrect
According to this option, the majority of check fraudsters who use electronic scanners only produce fake checks for sizable sums of money. Small or large sums of money are not relevant to the discussion. The purpose of the discussion is to discuss check fraud. As a result this option is eliminated.

Option – C : Incorrect
According to this option, the smallest dots on the suggested checks cannot be seen visually except with a powerful magnification. The controversy centers on the scanners. The argument's context does not depend on whether dots are under strong magnification visible or not. The question of whether scanners can read and reproduce the small dots is the topic of the discussion. As a result this option is eliminated.

Option – D : Incorrect
According to this option, the majority of the corporations these banks serve won't pay more for the new checks than they would for regular checks. The cost of the security measure is not relevant to the discussion. As a result this option is eliminated.

Option – E : Correct
This option states that in the near future, the smallest dot size that commercially available electronic scanners can reproduce accurately won't change significantly. This option states that the smallest dot that scanners can read and reproduce will not change in size. This is an assumption because, if it were otherwise, scanners would be able to read and reproduce small dots, which would undermine the argument. As a result, this option is the right choice.

From the explanations given above, it is clear that the final option is the correct answer.

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