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Difficulty: EasyWeakening Arguments

A tech firm observed that employees who voluntarily chose to work remotely reported higher job satisfaction than those who worked in the office. Based on this observation, management concluded that transitioning all employees to remote work will increase overall employee job satisfaction across the company. Which of the following, if true, most seriously weakens management's conclusion?

  1. A
    Employees who work remotely report saving an average of 45 minutes of commuting time each day.
  2. B
    Overall job satisfaction levels at competing technology firms have remained steady over the past three years.
  3. Employees who chose remote work were primarily those whose job duties require minimal collaboration, whereas most office-based roles require constant group coordination that suffers remotely.Answer
  4. D
    The company recently upgraded its headquarters with a modern cafeteria and fitness center for on-site staff.
  5. E
    Many remote workers choose to purchase their own ergonomic office equipment to set up home workspaces.

Answer

The argument is most weakened by showing that the remote employees surveyed had roles unrepresentative of the entire workforce, creating a selection bias that makes the conclusion invalid for office-based positions.
The correct answer weakens the argument by exposing a selection bias. The premise relies on data from employees who voluntarily chose remote work, likely because their specific roles suited it. If office-based roles depend heavily on real-time group coordination that deteriorates in a remote environment, forcing those employees to work remotely will likely decrease satisfaction, invalidating the conclusion that total remote work will raise overall satisfaction.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify the main conclusion and premise.
Premise: Voluntarily remote employees report higher satisfaction. Conclusion: Mandating remote work for all employees will increase overall job satisfaction.
Understanding the logic gap requires clearly isolating what the premise proves versus what the conclusion claims.
2
Evaluate the underlying assumption.
Management assumes that the satisfaction experienced by voluntary remote workers will apply equally to all employees regardless of role.
Weakening questions target unstated assumptions connecting the premise to the conclusion.
3
Select the choice that undermines this assumption.
The option showing that voluntary remote workers have fundamentally different job responsibilities than office workers demonstrates that the sample is non-representative, directly undermining the conclusion.
Pointing out selection bias breaks the causal link between the initial observation and the proposed company-wide plan.

Key Concept

Weakening Arguments: Selection Bias and Unrepresentative Samples
Estimated Time:1m 0s
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Topics

Weakening Arguments

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