GMAT Question of the Day: Critical Reasoning

The rate of car theft in New York City has increased 19% from 2001. The blame for this rests with the soft-on-crime judges the new administration has appointed. The argument above would be weakened if it were true that

A) murders in this city has also increased by over 25 percent in the last year.
B) polls show that 65 percent of the population in this city opposes the death penalty.
C) 35 percent of the police in this city have been laid off in the last year due to budget cuts.
D) the city has hired 25 new judges in the last year to compensate for deaths and retirements.
E) 85 percent of the other cities in the nation have lower crime rates than does this city.

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  1. JR says:

    ANS: C
    35 percent of the police in this city have been laid off in the last year due to budget cuts.

  2. Lavakumar says:

    Ans : C

  3. V Pat says:

    C) 35 percent of the police in this city have been laid off in the last year due to budget cuts.

  4. (C) If we can show that something besides the court system may explain the increase in crime we would weaken the argument. The author assumes that there is no other cause. Tackle the choices, looking for another cause besides the allegedly lenient court sentences.
    The argument’s scope is the crime rate increase in this particular city only. In (A), the fact that white collar crime is also on the rise is more of a strengthener than a weakener. (C) presents an alternative explanation for the increase in crime (reduction in police). As for (B), what if 65 percent of people in the city oppose capital punishment? This provides little insight into why crime has gone up since last year. (D) tells us that numerous judges have been replaced in the last year. It is possible that the new judges are more lenient, but this would only strengthen the author’s argument. (E) does not compare one city to another.

    Correct answer is C.

  5. abhishek says:

    c

  6. abhinav.vikas says:

    C

  7. Prashanth says:

    C

  8. Abhinav says:

    Ans is C. This is because the removal of police force indicates that there should have been lower crime in the city. Hence it is the ans.

  9. Ramz says:

    a pretty simple 1
    C

  10. Chirag says:

    the answer is c

  11. sushmita says:

    i think it’s B.because it says majority of the population (65%) are against death penalty.that means judges are not soft -on-crime as the passage states.
    therefore the answer is B.
    someone please correct me if i am wrong.

  12. sushmita says:

    w.r.t my previous ans
    Also reduction in police force will increase crime as option C states.
    So in my opinion it’s B.

  13. Tarun Chandra says:

    Answer:B

  14. Kuldeep Sharma says:

    c

  15. KKS_GmatTaker says:

    Ans: option B.

    In C..the reduction in police is stated since 1 year only.
    whereas the crime rate has been compared since 2001.

  16. ismitevijay says:

    I think its C.

  17. dp says:

    option C

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