[Many customers consider e...] An airplane engine manufacturer developed a new engine model with safety features lacking in the ear

An airplane engine manufacturer developed a new engine model with safety features lacking in the earlier model, which was still being manufactured. During the first year that both were sold, the earlier model far outsold the new model; the manufacturer thus concluded that safety was not the customers’ primary consideration.
Which of the following, if true, would most seriously weaken the manufacturer’s conclusion?

Both private plane owners and commercial airlines buy engines from this airplane engine manufacturer.

Many customers consider earlier engine models better safety risks than new engine models, since more is usually known about the safety of the earlier models.

Many customers of this airplane engine manufacturer also bought airplane engines from manufacturers who did not provide additional safety features in their newer models.

The newer engine model can be used in all planes in which the earlier engine model can be used.

There was no significant difference in price between the newer engine model and the earlier engine model.

Explanation:
The manufacturers’ conclusion would be weakened if it could be argued that, in the opinion of customers, safety considerations favor the earlier model. Choice B supports such an argument and is the best answer.
The groups mentioned in choice A would both expected to consider safety important, so their failing to buy the new model would be striking, without casting doubt on the conclusion; thus, choice A is incorrect. Choice C might support the conclusion, because customers bought other engine support the conclusion, because customers bought other engine models that might not include the newer safety features. Choice D and E suggest that usability and price, respectively, were not the customers’ primary consideration in favoring the earlier model, but neither choice weakens the conclusion that safety was not their primary consideration.

A computer equipped with signature-recognition software, which restricts access to a computer to those people whose signatures are on file, identifies a person’s signature by analyzing not only the form of the signature but also such characteristics as pen pressure and signing speed. Even the most adept forgers cannot duplicate all of the characteristics the program analyzes. Which of the following can be logically concluded from the passage above?	Answer
Firms adopting “profit-related-pay” (PRP) contracts pay wages at levels that vary with the firm’s profits. In the metalworking industry last year, firms with PRP contracts in place showed productivity per worker on average 13 percent higher than that of their competitors who used more traditional contracts. If, on the basis of the evidence above, it is argued that PRP contracts increase worker productivity, which of the following, if true, would most seriously weaken that argument?	Answer
It is often thought that our own modern age is unique in having a large number of people who live into old age. It has frequently been assumed that plagues, wars, and harsh working conditions killed off most people in previous ages before they could reach old age. However, recent research shows that in 17th century Europe, for example, people over sixty comprised 10 percent of the population. The studies also revealed that although infant mortality remained high until the 20th century in Europe, people who survived to adulthood could expect to live to be old. The portions in boldface play which of the following roles in the argument above?	Answer
A rare disease, malicitis, is being diagnosed with increasing frequency. The number of cases reported this year is more than double the number reported four years ago. The government should now allocate more funds for treatment and prevention of malicitis. All of the following, if true, would weaken the conclusion except	Answer
Recent studies have highlighted the harmful effects of additives in food (colors, preservatives, flavor enhancers etc.). There are no synthetic substances in the foods we produce at Munchon Foods ` we use only natural ingredients. Hence you can be sure you are safeguarding your family`s health when you buy our products. Which of the following, if true, would most weaken the contention of Munchon Foods?	Answer
Jay: We have too many people working on each of our computers in the office. The high frequency of breakdowns is due to too many people handling the same hardware. Ada: We have just as many people working in our office, yet we hardly need any repairs to our systems. Our systems must be more robust than yours. Ada`s argument would be most strengthened by providing data on the	Answer
In a recent study of responses to visual images, researchers found that women most frequently gave the rating `most attractive` to images of male faces that were more feminine in contour, and rated more masculine faces, on average, `less attractive`. The researchers concluded that modern women prefer men who are less obviously masculine in their facial features. The conclusion would be most severely weakened if which of the following were true?	Answer
A discount retailer of basic household necessities employs thousands of people and pays most of them at the minimum wage rate. Yet following a federally mandated increase of the minimum wage rate that increased the retailer’s operating costs considerably, the retailer’s profits increased markedly. Which of the following, if true, most helps to resolve the apparent paradox?	Answer
A fruit known as amla in certain parts of Asia is an excellent source of vitamin C. A small quantity of the fruit grated and added to salads provides almost all the daily requirement of this vitamin. However, the fruit is very sour. A new process designed to remove most of the sour taste will make the fruit acceptable to American tastes. We are therefore starting to grow this fruit for sale in the United States. The argument above assumes all of the following except	Answer
The enormous distances between stars are not spaces entirely devoid of matter. The interstellar spaces are filled with `dust`: very low density matter. This miniscule amount of matter, spread over almost infinite distances, acts like a curtain obscuring the stars that lie behind. If it were not for this material we would see no dark patches in the sky at night: the sky would be entirely covered with stars. The two parts in boldface play what roles in the argument above?	Answer