Self-study
Company president: Support Our consultants report that, in general, the most efficient managers have excellent time management skills. █████ ██ ███████ ████████████ █ █████████ ████ ██ ████ █████████ ██ ███ ████████████ ████████ █ ███████ ██ █████ ████ ██ ██████████ ██ ████ ███████████
Summarize Argument: Phenomenon-Hypothesis
The author recommends that we make available to middle-level managers a time management training seminar in order to improve their productivity. This is based on a report by consultants that the most efficient managers have excellent time management skills.
Notable Assumptions
The author assumes that excellent time management skills is the cause of the most efficient managers’ level of efficiency. The author assumes that there isn’t some other explanation for the association between efficiency and time management skills observed in managers.
23.
Each of the following, if █████ █████ ██████ ███ ███████ ███ ███ ███████ ███████████ ██████████████ ███████
a
The consultants use ███ ████ ████████ ██ ████████ █████████ ██████████ ██ ████ ██ ██ ████████ █████ ████ ██████████ ███████
(A) suggests that the purported correlation between efficiency and time management among managers doesn’t actually measure a meaningful relationship. The consultants aren’t measuring the connection between two different qualities.
Alternate explanation
Alternate explanation
Weaken: Introduce or support an alternate explanation for a phenomenon.
Strengthen: Helps to eliminate an alternate explanation for a phenomenon.
b
Successful time management ██ ████ █████████ ██ ██████████ ████ ██ ████ ██████████
This provides a reason to think a seminar training managers on time management techniques is less likely to be successful.
c
Most managers at █████ █████████ ███ ████ ████████ ████ ██████████ ████████ ███ █████ █████████████
This provides a reason to think attendance at time management seminars is less likely to have a significant impact on productivity.
Plausibility
Plausibility
Presenting evidence that corroborates (in Strengthen) or conflicts (in Weaken) with the author's hypothesized explanation or the predictions that follow from that explanation.
d
Most managers who ███ ███████ █████████ ██ ███ ████ ██ ███████ █████ █████████████
The author recommends that we make a seminar available. If some managers don’t need it, they don’t have to attend. (D) doesn’t provide a reason to think the seminars might not be effective, nor does it criticize the reported association between efficiency and time management.
e
Most managers who ███ █████████ ████ █████ ████████ █ ████ ██████████ ████████
This provides a reason to think time management training seminars are not going to be as helpful as the author believes.
Plausibility
Plausibility
Presenting evidence that corroborates (in Strengthen) or conflicts (in Weaken) with the author's hypothesized explanation or the predictions that follow from that explanation.