Weaken the Conclusion

Introduction
In the questions that ask you to weaken the conclusion, the correct answer
choice should provide some evidence casts doubt over the conclusion.
Correct answers do not have to absolutely, without a doubt, in all circumstances
weaken the conclusion. They only have to open up the possibility that the
conclusion is not valid.
The correct answer on a weaken question will typically accomplish this by
introducing a new piece of information that calls into question an assumption
made by the author.

Question can ask..

All the following mean the same:
The argument above is most vulnerable to which of the following
criticisms?
Which of the following, if true, casts most doubt on the conclusion above?

The reasoning of the argument in the advertisement is flawed because it

overlooks the possibility that

The Chart..
As you read the choices, mark the choice as :
S if it strengthens the argument
W if it weakens the argument

O if it is outside the scope/irrelevant to the conclusion

Example
Banning cigarette advertisements in the mass media will not reduce the number of young
people who smoke. They know that cigarettes exist and they know how to get them. They
do not need the advertisements to supply that information.
The above argument would be most weakened if which of the following were true?
(A) Seeing or hearing an advertisement for a product tends to increase peoples desire for
that product.
(B) Banning cigarette advertisements in the mass media will cause an increase in
advertisements in places where cigarettes are sold.
(C) Advertisements in the mass media have been an exceedingly large part of the
expenditures of the tobacco companies.
(D) Those who oppose cigarette use have advertised against it in the mass media ever since
cigarettes were found to be harmful.
(E) Older people tend to be less influenced by mass-media advertisements than younger
people tend to be.

Speaker: Contemporary business firms need to recognize that avoiding social responsibility leads
to the gradual erosion of power. This is Davis and Blomstroms Iron Law of Responsibility: In the
long run, those who do not use power in a manner which society considers responsible will tend
to lose it. The laws application to human institutions certainly stands confirmed by history.
Though the long run may require decades or even centuries in some instances, society
ultimately acts to reduce power when society thinks it is not being used responsibly. Therefore, a
business that wishes to retain its power as long as it can, must act responsibly.
Which one of the following statements, if true, most weakens the speakers argument?
A. Government institutions are as subject to the Iron Law of Responsibility as business
institutions.
B. Public relations programs can cause society to consider an institution socially responsible even
when it is not.
C. The power of some institutions erodes more slowly than the power of others, whether they
are socially responsible or not.
D. Since no institution is eternal, every business will eventually fail.
E. Some businesses that have used power in socially responsible ways have lost it.

There is relatively little room for growth in the overall carpet market, which Is tied to the size of
the population. Most who purchase carpet do so only once or twice, first in their twenties or
thirties, and then perhaps again in their fifties or sixties. Thus as the population ages, companies
Producing carpet will be able to gain market share in the carpet market only through
purchasing competitors, and not through more aggressive marketing.
Which one of the following, if true, casts the most doubt on the conclusion above?
A. Most of the major carpet producers market other floor coverings as well.
B. Most established carpet producers market several different brand names and varieties, and
there is no remaining niche in the market for new brands to fill.
C. Two of the three mergers in the industrys last ten years led to a decline in profits and
revenues for the newly merged companies.
D. Price reductions, achieved by cost-cutting in production, by some of the dominant firms in
the carpet market are causing other producers to leave the market altogether.
E. The carpet market is unlike most markets in that consumers are becoming increasingly
resistant to new patterns and styles.

A study comparing a group of chronically depressed individuals with an

otherwise matched group of individuals free from depression found
significantly more disorders of the immune system among the depressed
group. According to the researchers, these results strongly support the
hypothesis that mental states influence the bodys vulnerability to infection.
Which of the following, if true, casts the most serious doubt on the
researchers interpretation of their findings?
(A) The researchers view does little more than echo a familiar theme in
folklore and literature.
(B) Chronically depressed individuals are no less careful than others to
avoid exposure to infections.
(C) Disorders of the immune system cause many of those individuals who
have them to become chronically depressed.
(D) Individuals who have previously been free from depression can become
depressed quite suddenly.
(E) A high frequency of infections can stem from an unusually high level of
exposure rather than from any disorder of the immune system.

People who have specialized knowledge about a scientific or technical

issue are systematically excluded from juries for trials where the issue is
relevant. Thus, trial by jury is not a fair means of settling disputes involving
such issues.
Which one of the following, if true, most seriously weakens the argument?
A. The more complicated the issue being litigated, the less likely it is that a
juror without specialized knowledge of the field involved will be able to
comprehend the testimony being given.
B. The more a juror knows about a particular scientific or technical issue
involved in a trial, the more likely it is that the juror will be prejudiced in
favor of one of the litigating parties before the trial begins.
C. Appointing an impartial arbitrator is not a fair means of settling disputes
involving scientific or technical issues, because arbitrators tend to favor
settlements in which both parties compromise on the issues.
D. Experts who give testimony on scientific or technical issues tend to
hedge their conclusions by discussing the possibility of error.
E. Expert witnesses in specialized fields often command fees that are so
high that many people involved in litigation cannot afford their services.

Waste management companies, which collect waste for disposal in

landfills and incineration plants, report that disposable plastics make up
an ever increasing percentage of the waste they handle. It is clear that
attempts to decrease the amount of plastic that people throw away in
the garbage are failing.
Which one of the following, if true, most seriously weakens the
argument?
A. Because plastics create harmful pollutants when burned, an
increasing percentage of the plastics handled by waste management
companies are being disposed of in landfills.
B. Although many plastics are recyclable, most of the plastics disposed
of by waste management companies are not.
C. People are more likely to save and reuse plastic containers than
containers made of heavier materials like glass or metal.
D. An increasing proportion of the paper, glass, and metal cans that
waste management companies used to handle is now being recycled.
E. While the percentage of products using plastic packaging is
increasing, the total amount of plastic being manufactured has
remained unchanged.

Advertisement: The worlds best coffee beans come from Colombia.

The more Colombian beans in a blend of coffee, the better the blend,
and no company purchases more Colombian beans than Kreemo
Coffee, Inc. So it only stands to reason that if you buy a can of
Kreemos coffee, youre buying the best blended coffee available
today.
The reasoning of the argument in the advertisement is flawed
because it overlooks the possibility that
(A) the equipment used by Kreemo to blend and package its coffee is
no different from that used by most other coffee producers
(B) not all of Kreemos competitors use Colombian coffee beans in the
blends of coffee they sell
(C) Kreemo sells more coffee than does any other company
(D) Kreemos coffee is the most expensive blended coffee available
today
(E) the best unblended coffee is better than the best blended coffee

One of the limiting factors in human physical performance is the amount of

oxygen that is absorbed by the muscles from the bloodstream. Accordingly,
entrepreneurs have begun selling at gymnasiums and health clubs bottles of
drinking water, labeled "superOXY", that has extra oxygen dissolved in the
water. Such water would be useless in improving physical performance,
however, since the amount of oxygen in the blood of someone who is
exercising is already more than the muscle cells can absorb.
Which of the following , if true, would serve the same function in the
argument as the statement in bold?
(A) world-class athletes turn in record performances without such water
(B) frequent physical exercise increases the body's ability to take in and use
oxygen
(C) the only way to get oxygen into the bloodstream so that it can be
absorbed by the muscles is through the lungs
(D) lack of oxygen is not the only factor limiting human physical performance
(E) the water lost in exercising can be replaced with ordinary tap water