Question

Argument:
A company claims its new productivity software significantly improves employee efficiency because workers using it complete tasks 30% faster.
Question:
Which of the following, if true, most seriously weakens the company’s claim?

Hint:

To weaken an argument, identify its central assumption and look for evidence showing that the stated cause does not lead to the claimed effect.

Answer 1

To weaken the company’s argument, we must show that the observed 30% increase in task completion speed is not caused by the software or does not actually reflect improved efficiency.
A strong weakening statement would demonstrate that the faster task completion is due to other factors or that the software introduces offsetting problems.
A correct weakening option would look like: \[ “Independent audits reveal that employees make significantly more errors when using the new software, requiring extensive rework that eliminates any time saved.” \] This seriously weakens the company's claim because it shows that although tasks may be completed faster, overall productivity does not improve and may even decline.