Saturday, January 10, 2015
An Ideal way to tackle Critical Reasoning Question:
Outsourcing is the practice of obtaining
from an independent supplier a product or service that a company has previously
provided for itself. Since a company’s chief objective is to realize the
highest possible year-end profits, any product or service that can be obtained
from an independent supplier for less than it would cost the company to provide
the product or service on its own should be outsourced.
Which of the following, if true, most seriously weakens the argument?
(A) If a company decides to use independent suppliers for a product, it can generally exploit the vigorous competition arising among several firms that are interested in supplying that product.
(B) Successful outsourcing requires a company to provide its suppliers with information about its products and plans that can fall into the hands of its competitors and give them a business advantage.
(C) Certain tasks, such as processing a company’s payroll, are commonly outsourced, whereas others, such as handling the company’s core business, are not.
(D) For a company to provide a product or service for itself as efficiently as an independent supplier can provide it, the managers involved need to be as expert in the area of that product or service as the people in charge of that product or service at an independent supplier are.
(E) When a company decides to use an independent supplier for a product or service, the independent supplier sometimes hires members of the company’s staff who formerly made the product or provided the service that the independent supplier now supplies.
Which of the following, if true, most seriously weakens the argument?
(A) If a company decides to use independent suppliers for a product, it can generally exploit the vigorous competition arising among several firms that are interested in supplying that product.
(B) Successful outsourcing requires a company to provide its suppliers with information about its products and plans that can fall into the hands of its competitors and give them a business advantage.
(C) Certain tasks, such as processing a company’s payroll, are commonly outsourced, whereas others, such as handling the company’s core business, are not.
(D) For a company to provide a product or service for itself as efficiently as an independent supplier can provide it, the managers involved need to be as expert in the area of that product or service as the people in charge of that product or service at an independent supplier are.
(E) When a company decides to use an independent supplier for a product or service, the independent supplier sometimes hires members of the company’s staff who formerly made the product or provided the service that the independent supplier now supplies.
An Ideal way to tackle critical reasoning Question:
1. First find the question type (time: 5-10
sec)
2. Read the argument critically finding
any logical gap, if any. Focus on the conclusion
3. Read the question
4. Pre-think about your answer
5. Eliminate the obvious wrong answers
6. Choose the best answer
Let’s apply the Strategy:
1.
First find the question type
(time: 5-10 sec) :
Weakening question: So,
we have to attack the conclusion or reasoning behind the conclusion.
2.
Read the argument critically
finding any logical gap, if any
First Sentence: Outsourcing is the practice of obtaining from an independent supplier a
product or service that a company has previously provided for itself.
My thought: Well, here is the definition
of outsourcing given. And my simplified thinking of this sentence is:
outsourcing is the practice of obtaining a product from a supplier.
Second Sentence: Since a company’s chief objective is to realize the highest possible
year-end profits, any product or service that can be obtained from an
independent supplier for less than it would cost the company to provide the
product or service on its own should be outsourced.
My thought: Here is the conclusion of the
argument that is a company should outsource a service if it costs the company
less than it would cost the company to make or provide the service. The
reasoning given behind this conclusion is that a company’s main object is to
ensure the highest possible profit.
3.
Read the question
The question asked to undermine the
argument. So, let’s attack the conclusion.
4. Pre-think
about your answer
What if the company does harm itself by
outsourcing?
5. Eliminate
the obvious wrong answers
(A) If a company decides to use
independent suppliers for a product, it can generally exploit the vigorous
competition arising among several firms that are interested in supplying that
product.
My thought: If there is any competition
among the suppliers, then it would lower the price of the service. So, it would
actually strengthen the argument than weaken the argument. So, Eliminate A.
(B) Successful outsourcing requires a company to provide its suppliers with information about its products and plans that can fall into the hands of
its competitors and give them a business advantage.
My thought: If outsourcing causes the
company some disadvantage by leaking some important information, then it surly
calls the conclusion into question. So, let’s keep it for now.
(C) Certain tasks, such as processing a company’s payroll, are commonly outsourced, whereas others, such as handling the company’s core business, are not.
My thought: This does not make any sense
to me because this option does not attack or support the argument. Eliminate C.
(D) For a company to provide a product or service for itself as efficiently as an independent supplier can provide it, the managers involved need to be as expert in the area of that product or service as the people in charge of that product or service at an independent supplier are.
My thought: This option says that the
manager of the company which seeks product or service should be similarly
expert as the manager of the supplier company. But, this information does not weaken
the conclusion. Mind it, out main purpose is to prove that the company will not
get profit or it will harm itself by outsourcing. So, eliminate D.
(E) When a company decides to use an independent supplier for a product or service, the independent supplier sometimes hires members of the company’s staff who formerly made the product
My thought: If the independent supplier
hires member’s from the company that has sought the product, then it does not
necessarily weaken the conclusion that a company should outsource because it
wants to get the maximum profit feasible. Eliminate
E.
So, we have eliminated every choice but B.
So, B is the answer because by taking the advantage of the outsourcing, the
company is harming itself by leaking important information. And, by using this
this information, the competitors are taking advantage of the product. Hence,
the company is not necessarily maximizing the profit by outsourcing. Rather,
outsourcing is putting the company into jeopardy.
