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Difficulty: MediumWeakening Arguments

To increase net profit margins across its retail locations, Apex Electronics plans to eliminate its complimentary home-delivery service for large household appliances. Management reasons that operating delivery trucks incurs substantial fuel and labor expenses without direct customer fees, and that customers will simply choose to transport their purchases home themselves using store pickup options. Therefore, management concludes that eliminating free delivery will reduce operational costs without sacrificing total sales revenue. Which of the following, if true, most seriously weakens the argument above?

  1. A majority of Apex's appliance customers lack personal vehicles capable of transporting bulky items and would purchase from competing retailers that offer home delivery.Answer
  2. B
    Discontinuing the delivery fleet will reduce Apex's annual commercial vehicle maintenance expenses and insurance premiums.
  3. C
    Competing electronics retailers have recently increased retail prices on small handheld accessories.
  4. D
    Fuel prices in the region where Apex operates have fluctuated moderately over the preceding five years.
  5. E
    Store managers currently spend an average of eight hours per week organizing delivery routes for their respective store locations.

Answer

The argument is most seriously weakened by the evidence that a majority of appliance buyers cannot transport large items themselves and will buy from competitors providing delivery, directly undermining the assumption that sales revenue will remain unaffected.
The argument relies on the central assumption that eliminating free appliance delivery will not decrease sales revenue because customers will easily shift to self-pickup. The correct answer presents new evidence showing that most target customers physically cannot transport large appliances themselves and will turn to competitors who still offer home delivery. This demonstrates that eliminating the delivery service will lead to substantial revenue loss, directly weakening the claim that profit margins will improve.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify the conclusion and key premises of the argument.
Premise: Operating delivery trucks adds fuel and labor costs without charging fees, and management assumes customers will switch to store pickup. Conclusion: Eliminating free delivery will cut costs without reducing sales revenue.
Understanding the logical jump between premise and conclusion highlights the unstated assumptions.
2
Formulate the central unstated assumption.
The argument assumes that customers have the means and willingness to pick up large appliances themselves rather than taking their business to a competitor offering delivery.
Weakening questions require finding evidence that breaks the link between the premise and conclusion.
3
Evaluate the choices to find information that undermines the central assumption.
The statement showing that most customers lack suitable vehicles and will switch to competitors directly undermines the claim that sales revenue will not suffer.
If sales revenue drops significantly due to lost customers, total net profit margins may decrease despite lower operating costs.

Key Concept

Weakening Causal and Plan-to-Goal Arguments
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Topics

Weakening Arguments

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