Question

Cheever College offers several online courses via remote computer connection, in addition to traditional classroom-based courses. A study of student performance at Cheever found that, overall, the average student grade for online courses matched that for classroom-based courses. In this calculation of the average grade, course withdrawals were weighted as equivalent to a course failure, and the rate of withdrawal was much lower for students enrolled in classroom-based courses than for students enrolled in online courses.
If the statements above are true, which of the following must also be true of Cheever College?

• A. Among students who did not withdraw, students enrolled in online courses got higher grades, on average, than students enrolled in classroom-based courses.
• B. The number of students enrolled per course at the start of the school term is much higher, on average, for the online courses than for the classroom-based courses.
• C. There are no students who take both an online and a classroom-based course in the same school term.
• D. Among Cheever College students with the best grades, a significant majority take online, rather than classroom-based, courses.
• E. Courses offered online tend to deal with subject matter that is less challenging than that of classroom-based courses.

Hint:

When analyzing educational performance data, always consider how withdrawals and other factors like course difficulty might influence the results.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is A

Step 1: Understanding the argument.
The argument indicates that students in online courses performed as well as students in classroom-based courses, and withdrawals were treated as failures. If withdrawals are much lower for classroom-based courses, it implies that the comparison for non-withdrawn students shows online students outperforming classroom-based students.

Step 2: Analyzing the options.
- (A) This is the correct answer. Given that the grade calculation treats withdrawals as failures, the fact that withdrawal rates differ suggests online students must have outperformed classroom students.
- (B) The number of students enrolled does not directly impact the average grades.
- (C) This is not a necessary conclusion. Students can take both types of courses.
- (D) This is irrelevant to the argument about the grades in online vs. classroom-based courses.
- (E) The argument does not claim that the subject matter in online courses is easier, only that performance is similar between the two course types.

Step 3: Conclusion.
The correct answer is (A), as it directly follows from the given data.