Self-study
Support Travaillier Corporation has recently hired employees with experience in the bus tour industry, and its executives have also been negotiating with charter bus companies that subcontract with bus tour companies. ███ ███████████ ███ █████████████ ███████ ██ ███████ █████████ ███ ██████ █████████ ██ ████ ███ █████████ ███████ ████ ████ █████████████ ███████████ █████████ ████ ███ ███████ █████ ████████ ████████████ ██████████ ███████████ ████ ██ ██████████ ██ ███████ ███ ████████ ████ ██ ██████████ ███ ██████████
Summarize Argument: Phenomenon-Hypothesis
The author hypothesizes that Travaillier Corporation is trying to attract new customers. Her evidence is that Travaillier is trying to expand its operations into bus tours, despite the fact most of Travaillier’s customers usually travel by air and haven’t changed their preferences
Notable Assumptions
In order for Travaillier to be attempting to attract new customers, the author must assume that its current customers aren’t interested in bus tours. While these customers usually travel by air, we have no idea whether or not they’re open to bus tours as vacation options, either in lieu of or in addition to air travel. She also assumes that, even if these travellers don’t currently want bus tours, Travaillier isn’t trying to increase their interest in bus tours rather than attract entirely new customers.
16.
Which one of the following, ██ █████ █████ ████ ██████ ███ █████████
a
In the past, ███████████ ███ █████ ██ ████ █████████ ██ ██████ ███ ██████████ ████████ ████████████
The author claims Travaillier isn’t trying to change its customers’ vacation preferences. If anything, this supports the author’s argument.
b
Several travel companies █████ ████ ███████████ ████ ████████ █████ ███ ██████ ██ ██████ ████ ███ ███ ████ █████████
We don’t care if other companies have tried and failed. Travaillier might be trying, as well.
c
At least one ██ █████████████ ███ █████████ ███ ████ ███ ██████████ ██ ███ ███ ████ ████████ ███ ███ ████ ████████ ███ ██████ ████████ █████████
Even if at least one new employee has designed air travel packages before, we still know that Travaillier has hired employees with experience in the bus tour industry and is negotiating with charter bus companies. This evidence can suggest Travaillier is trying to break into bus tours and attract new customers. The author never assumes that the new employees have absolutely no experience with air travel packages, so it doesn't weaken the argument to learn that some of those employees do have that background.
d
Some of Travaillier's ███████████ ████ █████████ ███████ ██ █████████████ █████ █████████ ██ █████ █████████ ███ █████ ███ ████ ██ ██████████
We don’t know what kind of customer spends the most on vacations. So (D) has no clear impact.
e
The industry consultants ████████ ██ ███████████ █████████ █████████ ████ █████████ ██████ ██ ███████████ █████ ███████ █████████ ██ ███ ████████ ███ █████████
If (E) is true, it suggests another possible explanation for why Travaillier has hired employees with bus tour experience and is negotiating with bus companies. Travaillier might not be trying to get new customers—they might be trying to change their current customers’ preferences. (E) weakens by showing that the author's explanation (attracting new customers) doesn't have to be the only one that could explain Travaillier's actions.