Critical Reasoning: Conclusion Strengthening Questions

Company X discovered that employees that have lunch before 13:00 are more productive than employees who have lunch after 13:00, or skip lunch altogether. The company management concluded that in order to increase employee productivity, it needs to encourage employees to have their lunch no later than 13:00.

Which of the following, if true, most strongly supports the company's conclusion?  

Incorrect.

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This answer choice neither strengthens nor weakens the management's conclusion. A fixed lunch time (same time every day) does not necessarily have to be earlier than 13:00. In other words, according to this answer choice, having lunch every day at 14:00 should also result in higher productivity. This idea is not on par with the management's conclusion and cannot, therefore, help to strengthen it. 

Incorrect.

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This answer choice neither strengthens nor weakens the management's conclusion - this statement does not tell us whether this group of employees (25-30 year old women) is more, or less, productive than an employee who eats lunch after 13:00, it cannot help us support the company's conclusion.

Good!

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This answer choice strengthens the company's conclusion by providing a good example of a similar situation which produced positive results.

Incorrect.

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This answer choice weakens the company's conclusion. It does so by providing an example of an employee who although eats after 13:00, is the most productive in the company. This example casts doubt on the company's theory.

Incorrect.

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This answer choice weakens the company's conclusion. It does so by providing a factor that complicates the situation and prevents the company from being able to use its plan. If some employees are not hungry before 13:30, then they will not eat properly, or at all, at 13:00, a fact which may affect their productivity.

Having lunch at the same time every day is known to increase productivity. 
The majority of employees who have lunch before 13:00 are 25-30 year old women.
Jane, who is the most productive employee of Company X, never has lunch before 13:30.
Company Y, a competitor of Company X, which boasts the highest employee productivity rate in the industry, closes its employee dining room at 13:00.
Employees who have lunch after 13:00 are usually not hungry before 13:30. 

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