Engineers are Investigating the Suitability of Wantastiquet Pass as the Site of a New Bridge

Question: Engineers are investigating the suitability of Wantastiquet Pass as the site of a new bridge. Because one concern is whether erosion could eventually weaken the bridge’s foundations, they contracted for two reports on erosion in the region. Although both reports are accurate, one claims that the region suffers relatively little erosion, while the other claims that regional erosion is heavy and a cause for concern.

Which one of the following, if true, most helps to explain how both reports could be accurate?

(A) Neither report presents an extensive chemical analysis of the soil in the region.
(B) Both reports include computer-enhanced satellite photographs.
(C) One report was prepared by scientists from a university, while the other report was prepared by scientists from a private consulting firm.
(D) One report focuses on regional topsoil erosion, while the other report focuses on riverbank erosion resulting from seasonal floods.
(E) One report cost nearly twice as much to prepare as did the other report.

“Engineers are investigating the suitability of Wantastiquet Pass as the site of a new bridge” – is a GMAT Critical question. This particular GMAT Critical Reasoning topic has been taken from the book ‘GMAT Official Guide Verbal Review, 2016 Edition’. This weakens the argument type of GMAT CR question. To answer the question, a candidate can by either finding a piece of evidence that would weaken the argument or have logical flaws in the argument. GMAT critical reasoning tests the logical and analytical skills of the candidates. This topic requires candidates to find the strengths and weaknesses of the argument, or find the logical flaw in the argument. The GMAT CR section contains 10 -13 GMAT critical reasoning questions out of 36 GMAT verbal questions.

Answer: D
Explanation: GMAT critical reasoning tests the reasoning skills along with the candidate's logical and analytical thinking abilities. The candidate has to deduce the correct option by finding the logically correct argument.

Let us check the options that most helps to explain how both reports could be accurate:

(A) whether or not neither report presents an intensive qualitative analysis, this doesn't distinguish the 2 reports in any way, and thus provides no resolution to the discrepancy within the findings regarding the impact of abrasion, so this answer choice should be eliminated.

(B) If both reports include enhanced satellite photos, then we'd still expect that

the findings would be similar. This answer choice provides no distinction between the 2 reports and no insight into a resolution of the reports’ disparate findings.

(C) If one report came from a university and therefore the other came from a personal

consulting firm, this is able to provide one distinctive feature between the 2 sets of findings. However, the author of the stimulus asserts that the findings of both reports are accurate, so we'd still expect similar conclusions, and data regarding their respective sources doesn’t help to resolve the discrepancy within the respective findings.

(D) If the results of 1 report were supported general findings concerning regional topsoil erosion, and therefore the other focuses instead on flood-caused riverbank erosion, then we wouldn’t necessarily have the expectation that the reports would gain similar conclusions. It is smart that both may be accurate since one style of erosion will be light while the opposite may be significant. This resolves the paradox and allows for the given undeniable fact that both reports are accurate.

(E) While this answer choice provides a degree of distinction between the 2 reports,

the relative costs of the reports shouldn't differentiate the results, especially considering that we already know that both reports are confirmed accurate in line with the stimulus.

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