Self-study
Three major laundry detergent manufacturers have concentrated their powdered detergents by reducing the proportion of inactive ingredients in the detergent formulas. ███ ████████████ ██████████ ████ ██ ████ ██ ███████ █████████ ██ ██████████ ███ ███████ ███ █████████████ █████ ███ ██████ ██ ██████ █████████ █████████ ███ █████ ██████████ ██████ ██████ ████████ ███████ ████ ███ ████████ ██ █████ █████ ██████████████ ███ ███████ ██ ███████ ██ ███ ███████ █████████ ███████ ████ ██████████ █████ █████ ███ ███████ █████████████ ██ █████████ █████ ███████████
Objective: Strengthen the Analysts' Prediction
Following some major laundry detergent manufacturers' decision to switch to concentrated powder detergents, market analysts predict that this decision will lead to the virtual disappearance of old-style, unconcentrated detergents. And why do they think this? We don't actually know—the stimulus doesn't give clear support for the prediction, so it's our job to find some.
However, the rest of the stimulus could still be useful: the correct answer might add context to these facts to show how they actually support the prediction. These facts are that the decision was due to the lower production costs and reduced packaging needed for concentrated detergent, and that these manufacturers together control 80 percent of the detergent market.
For example, the correct answer could say that manufacturers selling concentrated detergent will outcompete those who don't, such as by passing on their production savings to sell at a lower price. Whatever the details, the correct answer will tell us that old-style detergents are likely to disappear.
6.
Which one of the following, ██ █████ ████ ████████ ████████ ███ ██████████ ████ ██ ███ ██████ █████████
a
Most smaller manufacturers ██ ███████ ██████████ ████ ████████ ██ ███ █████████ ██ ██████ █████████ ███ ███ ██████████ ██ ███ ███████ █████████ █████████
(A) gives us a reason that old-style detergent would keep being produced: it's too expensive for small manufacturers to switch. If anything, that weakens the prediction.
b
Many consumers will ██ █████████ █████████ ████ ███ ███████████ █████ ██████ ██ ████████████ █████████ ████ █████ ███████ ██ ███████████ ██ ███ ██████ ██████ ██ ███ █████████ █████████ ████
If consumers don't go for the new detergent, that could only weaken the prediction. As long as consumers keep buying old-style detergent, it will probably stick around.
c
Some analysts believe ████ █████████ ████ ████ ██ ███ █ ███████ ████ ███ ████ ██ ███████ ██ ███ ███ ███ ████████████ █████████ ████ ████ ███ ██ ███ ███ █████████ ██████████
Firstly, who are these "some analysts", and why should we believe them? But even if we think this is a reliable claim, consumers paying more for new detergent weakens the prediction. It suggests they'll keep buying the cheaper old-style detergent.
d
Major supermarkets have █████████ ████ ████ ████ ███ ██████ ███ █████████ █████████████ ████ ██ ███████ █████ ███████████ ████ ██████ ███ ██████████ ████ ████ ██ ████ █████ ██████
So the reduction in cost for manufacturers is limited. This certainly doesn't strengthen the argument, because it removes a possible incentive for other manufacturers to switch.
e
Consumers are increasingly █████ █████████ ██ █████████████ ████████ ██ ███ ████████████ ██████████ ████ █████████ ██ █████ ██ ██████ █████████ ██████
(E) tells us that consumers are likely to prefer the new detergent, because it respects their environmental concerns. That makes it likelier that new detergent will outcompete old detergent, thus supporting the prediction.