A
Mammals obtain no beneficial health effects from eating cellulose.
B
If extracts from a type of mushroom slow, reverse, or prevent the growth of cancerous tumors in mammals, then the mushroom is capable of using cellulose to make beta-glucans.
C
The greater the degree of branching of beta-glucans, the greater the degree of immune-cell activity it triggers in mammals.
D
Immune-cell activity in mammals does not prevent tumor growth by killing cancer cells.
E
Any organism capable of obtaining glucose from wood can use cellulose to make beta-glucans.
Market analyst: According to my research, 59 percent of consumers anticipate paying off their credit card balances in full before interest charges start to accrue, intending to use the cards only to avoid carrying cash and writing checks. This research also suggests that in trying to win business from their competitors, credit card companies tend to concentrate on improving the services their customers are the most interested in. Therefore, my research would lead us to expect that _______.
Summary
The market analyst's research indicates that over half of consumers plan to pay off their credit card balances in full before interest charges accrue. The research also suggests that credit card companies, in an effort to compete, focus on improving the services their customers care about most.
Strongly Supported Conclusions
Credit card companies do not focus on interest rates as one of their main selling points.
A
most consumers would be indifferent about which company’s credit card they use
This is too strong to support. The stimulus only says that most consumers intend to pay off their account balance before interest starts to accrue. Even if you read this as being “indifferent,” you have to assume that the interest rate is the only factor consumers care about.
B
credit card companies would not make the interest rates they charge on cards the main selling point
Most consumers do not intend to make late payments with interest. The stimulus states that credit card companies focus on what consumers care about most. It is reasonable to assume that these companies would focus on something other than interest rates to compete for business.
C
most consumers would prefer paying interest on credit card debts over borrowing money from banks
This comparative statement is not supported because there is no mention of consumers’ willingness to borrow money from banks.
D
most consumers would ignore the length of time a credit card company allows to pay the balance due before interest accrues
This anti-supported. The stimulus says that most consumers intend to pay off their balance before interest accrues. There is no evidence that consumers ignore the length of time banks set before interest accrues.
E
the most intense competition among credit card companies would be over the number of places that they can get to accept their credit card
There is no mention of banks caring about the number of places they can get to accept their card. Even if you make that assumption, there is no support that this would elicit the “most intense” competition.
This question is an MSS/Fill in the blank question, which we know from the question stem: Which one of the following most logically completes the market analyst’s argument?
Oooh market research! Exciting! Let’s dig in:
Ok so our trusty market analyst tells us that according to her research, 59 percent of consumers think they will pay off their credit card balances before the card companies start to charge interest. Furthermore, they suggest that they’re just using credit cards to avoid the hassle of using checks and cash.
What’s a quantifier we could fill in for 59%? How about most? Most is a quantifier that indicates a range that captures every value over half, right? What’s 59%? It’s over half! Therefore, we can say most. So let’s put a pin in that thought, and move on to the rest of the stimulus.
Ok without tackling the question of whether or not we really think 59 percent of consumers are going to pay their credit card bills on time–let’s see what other information our friendly market analyst has to share with us.
She goes on to say that her research also indicates that in order to win business, credit card companies focus on improving the services that their customers are most interested in. Hmm. Interesting! Are we seeing any overlap between these two arguments?
Let’s think about it: We already identified that most consumers don’t plan to carry a balance or accrue interest on credit card debt. We likewise determined that most consumers use credit cards primarily to avoid carrying cash or checks. We also know that credit card companies concentrate on improving the services that their customers are most interested in. Do you see why identifying that “most” is consistent with“59%” is useful? It connects these two sentences. We already know what services customers are most interested in! They’re interested in convenience( and they’re not interested in carrying a balance).
Now obviously, I read this question before I wrote this description (cat’s out of the bag!), so I knew that drawing this connection explicitly would be useful. But the fact of the matter is, once you are familiar enough with quantifiers, this connection is automatic! You don’t have to think about it. You will intuitively understand that 59% fits in the “most” category and alarm bells should be ringing when you see “most consumers” in the second sentence. If you’re struggling that’s ok! Go back and review the lessons on quantifiers.
Ok so we’ve synthesized the information in our first two sentences. Now let’s turn to the answer choices:
Answer Choice (A) We have no information to support this. We know from our first sentence that most consumers have specific wants and needs when it comes to credit cards. Presumably they would utilize the credit card company that best matches their needs.
Correct Answer Choice (B) Let’s revisit what we know about most consumers: they intend to pay off their credit card balances before they start to accrue interest. If credit card companies concentrate on services that most customers are interested in, they definitely shouldn’t focus on interest rates–because most consumers are not interested in carrying a balance and accruing interest. Therefore, this answer choice is strongly supported by the information in our stimulus.
Answer Choice (C) The only thing we know about consumers is most of them are explicitly not interested in paying interest in credit card debt. We have no information about bank loans and therefore, have no information on which to base a comparative statement like the one found in this AC.
Answer Choice (D) This answer choice completely clashes with the information we are given in the stimulus. Most consumers want to pay their balance before it starts to accrue interest. We don’t have any information to suggest they wouldn’t care about the timeline–and it stands to reason that they would be keenly aware of the payment due date so that they can avoid paying interest.
Answer Choice (E) There are a few things wrong with this answer choice. First, we have to provide it with an assumption to make the leap from what we do know (people use credit cards to avoid carrying cash and checks) to what we don’t (so I guess that would mean people care where the credit card is accepted). We also don’t know anything about the quality of competition between credit card companies. We know that, “in order to win business from their competitors” they tend to concentrate on areas that appeal to most consumers. But think about it this way, just because 59 percent of consumers are interested in replacing checks and money with credit cards doesn’t mean that a similar (or larger) percentage of consumers aren’t interested in some other aspect of credit cards. We don’t know which popular aspect of credit cards the companies might end up choosing to focus on or where the intensity of competition would be greatest.