Question
The Games Plus franchise stocks the game TigerTrail at all of its stores. Store A, which always displays TigerTrail on shelves above eye-level, sells more copies of TigerTrail per year than any other store in the franchise. Given that the other stores in the franchise rotate their copies of TigerTrail between eye-level and above eye-level shelves monthly, it is clear that the shelf placement of TigerTrail at Store A is responsible for the higher sales of TigerTrail at Store A.
Which of the following, if true, most seriously weakens the argument?
Preceding TigerTrail’s release, the Games Plus franchise mounted an extensive online advertising campaign announcing the game.
Many game buyers associate above eye-level shelf placement of a game with high popularity.
Most people who have bought TigerTrail from Store A have called in the order and picked up at the register.
Every year since it opened, Store A has reported higher annual profits than any other Games Plus franchise store.
Patrons of Store A have no more discretionary income to spend on video games than patrons of other Games Plus stores have.
Text Solution:
Breakdown of the argument:
Background: The Games Plus franchise stocks the game TigerTrail at all of its stores.
Premise 1: Store A always displays its copies of TigerTrail on shelves above eye-level.
Premise 2: Other stores rotate their copies of TigerTrail between eye-level and above eye-level shelves.
Premise 3: Store A sells more copies of TigerTrail per year than does any other store in the franchise.
Conclusion: The shelf placement of TigerTrail at Store A is responsible for the higher sales of TigerTrail at Store A.
In drawing the conclusion, the author assumes that shelf placement causes Store A's higher sales. If this assumption were not true, the argument would fall apart.
So, which answer choice attacks this assumption?
(A) Preceding TigerTrail’s release, the Games Plus franchise mounted an extensive online advertising campaign announcing the game.
This choice has no effect on the argument.
There is no reason to think that a franchise-wide ad campaign would increase sales at Store A in particular.
In other words, this choice does not provide an alternate explanation for the difference between sales of TigerTrail at Store A and sales of TigerTrail at other stores.
Thus, this choice does not weaken the argument.
(B) Many game buyers associate above eye-level shelf placement of a game with high popularity.
If anything, this choice strengthens the argument.
This information provides more reason to think that shelf placement causes Store A’s higher sales. That is, customers may be more likely to buy TigerTrail if they think the game is popular.
However, we need a reason to doubt that shelf placement causes Store A’s higher sales.
So, this choice does not weaken the argument.
CORRECT ANSWER(C) Most people who have bought TigerTrail from Store A have called in the order and picked up at the register.
This choice undermines the assumed connection between shelf placement and sales of TigerTrail at Store A.
If most customers pick up their orders at the register, then they do not see TigerTrail on the shelf. So, it is unlikely that shelf placement influenced their purchasing decisions.
Thus, this choice weakens the argument.
(D) Every year since it opened, Store A has reported higher annual profits than any other Games Plus franchise store.
This choice has no effect on the argument.
Store A’s profits are not directly connected to sales of TigerTrail. In fact, there are many factors, such as keeping expenses low, that could explain why Store A is more profitable than other stores.
So, we have no reason to doubt the conclusion.
Thus, this choice does not weaken the argument.
(E) Patrons of Store A have no more discretionary income to spend on video games than patrons of other Games Plus stores have.
This choice strengthens the argument.
This information eliminates an alternative explanation for Store A’s higher sales. After all, patrons’ higher discretionary income could explain why Store A sells more copies of TigerTrail.
If the cause is not higher discretionary income, there is more reason to believe that the cause is shelf placement.
So, this choice does not weaken the argument.
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