答案解析
Prep2012-Pack1-CR-031 VCR000875 Medium
Reasoning
Why would supermarkets be unlikely to pass on the savings by lowering the price of the manufacturer's cereals?
Consumers have been switching from the manufacturer's cereals to cheaper store brands. The manufacturer wants to reverse this trend by reducing its cereals’ prices for shoppers. We are told that usually supermarkets do pass on savings from lowered wholesale prices. Therefore, this must usually be in their interest. Since supermarkets are businesses, profit motives are likely to explain their decisions. What profit motive might deter the supermarkets from lowering prices in this specific situation?
A. If other name-brand cereal manufacturers also reduce their wholesale prices, the supermarkets could simply pass on the savings by lowering the prices on those cereals as well. Because of increased affordability to
consumers, total cereal sales may increase without reducing the supermarkets’ profits on each box of cereal sold.
B. If prices of name-brand cereals have increased, supermarkets might have even more reason to pass on the savings from reduced wholesale prices in order to increase sales.
C. Even if cereal sales have been increasing, supermarkets might be happy for the opportunity to increase sales even more by lowering the prices on the manufacturer's cereals without reducing their profits on each box sold.
D. Correct. If supermarkets make more profits from store-brand cereals than from name-brand cereals, they have a profit motive not to encourage shoppers to switch to a name-brand cereal by lowering its price.
E. If supermarkets lower prices of the manufacturer's cereals below those of other name-brand cereals, then shoppers may switch brands, but this would not reduce the supermarkets‘ total profits.
The correct answer is D.
Prep2012-Pack1-CR-032 VCR000886 Medium
Reasoning
What must be true in order for the given premises to justify the conclusion that Teruvia will have to begin importing rice? The argument implies that domestic rice production will not increase and that there are no rice exports, imports, surpluses, or stockpiles. It also implies that since Teruvia's population will increase, its total demand for rice will increase. But this assumes that Teruvians will not start eating less rice per person.
A. Correct. This expresses the final assumption discussed above, that Teruvians will not start eating much less rice per person.
B. This may suggest that finding better acreage could increase rice yields, but the argument assumes that rice yields per acre will not increase appreciably.
C. This may suggest that new strains of rice could increase rice yields, but the argument assumes that rice production will not increase.
D. The argument assumes only that Teruvia's total demand for rice will increase, not that the demand in every region will increase.
E. The argument does not need to assume that rice is the only crop for which domestic production and demand are balanced. It is compatible with saying, for instance, that what holds for rice also holds for other crops.
The correct answer is A.
Prep2012-Pack1-CR-033 VCR001179 Medium
Reasoning
Given the facts the theatergoer has stated, what would make it more likely that switching from coconut oil to canola oil has hurt the theaters’ popcorn sales? The theaters switched to canola oil at the beginning of last year, and their sales figures indicate that they sold 5 percent more popcorn in the year after the change than in the year before the change. Therefore,, an answer option stating evidence that popcorn sales would have increased even more than 5 percent if the theaters had not switched to canola oil would support the theaters‘ claim that the switch to canola oil has hurt popcorn sales.
A. Publicity stressing the health benefits of canola oil would make the switch to canola oil less likely to hurt popcorn sales, not more likely.
B. Making more money from food and beverage sales than from ticket sales does not suggest that popcorn sales have been hurt.
C. A survey in which most customers said the switch did not affect the amount of popcorn they buy is evidence that the switch did not hurt popcorn sales, not that it did hurt sales.
D. If total food and beverage sales increased less than 5 percent, then popcorn sales have increased more than sales of similar items, suggesting that the switch to canola oil may have improved popcorn sales.
E. Correct. If total attendance at the theaters increased 20 percent while popcorn consumption only increased 5 percent, then average popcorn sales per customer have declined. Therefore, the use of canola oil may be discouraging customers from buying popcorn.
The correct answer is E.
