Critical Reasoning: Boldface Type Questions

An appeal has been made by the managers of a department store to its marketing director, citing a need for a marketing approach that instead of focusing on increasing brand awareness, will advertise particular products and services offered by various departments separately. The director responded by stating that almost all industry professionals firmly believe that brand awareness is directly linked to the increase in sales experienced by department stores. Even if the effect of brand awareness and separate department advertisements have the same influence on the sales performance of the store, the company should remain with a brand awareness strategy since because advertising costs are calculated per portion of media, brand awareness strategies are cheaper than departmental advertisements.

In the argument given, the two portions in boldface play which of the following roles?

Incorrect.

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After reviewing the breakdown, we can see that the first boldface portion cannot be considered evidence since it is only a belief shared by industry professionals. You can immediately eliminate answer choices that incorrectly define the first boldface part; do not waste time reading the rest.

Incorrect.

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This answer choice is confusing because both the managers and the marketing director object to each other's claims in this argument. The first portion supports brand awareness, and so does the argument's conclusion (position). Hence, the first portion cannot be said to support the objection to the argument's position.

You can immediately eliminate answer choices that incorrectly define the first boldface part; do not waste time reading the rest.

Incorrect.

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While this answer choice defines the first boldface portion correctly, it defines the second portion incorrectly. The explanation supported by the data is a position shared by the objection against the managers.

Incorrect.

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This answer choice defines the first boldface portion correctly, but not the second. The evidence in the second portion is supportive of the argument's position and does not, therefore, call it into quesion.

Superb!

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The first boldface portion is a judgment made by a group of people, which is used to support brand awareness, a position also supported by the argument's conclusion. The second boldface portion is information used to base an explanation in support of the conclusion.

The first is evidence offered in support of the argument's position; the second is additional data presented as the basis for an explanation of that position.

The first is support for an objection that has been raised against the position taken by the argument; the second is data that has been presented to further contradict that position.

The first is a judgment that has been presented in support of an objection; the second is data supporting an explanation that contradicts that objection.

The first is a point of view expressed to offer support to the argument's position; the second is evidence that calls that position into question.

The first is a judgment presented in support of the argument's conclusion; the second is factual information justifying the preference expressed in that conclusion.