Question Type:
Strengthen (which answer most justifies the prediction)
Stimulus Breakdown:
Conclusion: Sales of the game will exceed expectations.
Evidence: Although the rate of sales is currently only meeting expectations, the rate of RENTALS is exceeding expectations and there's a rebate that incentivizes people to apply their rental cost to an actual purchase (sale) of the game.
Answer Anticipation:
The prediction hinges on whether people are likely to take advantage of this rental rebate. When would they be likely to go for it? When wouldn't they be?
Presumably, if they like the game a lot during the rental phase and think, "man, I'd really like to own this game", then they'll apply the rental rebate and buy the game.
But if people during the rental phase AREN'T thinking, "Man, I'd really like to own this game", then the rental rebate doesn't really offer any compelling reason to buy the game.
The author HAS given us reason to think that people will be liking the game during the rental phase: "it's inventive puzzles and compelling plot induce even causal players to be obsessed with finishing it". Hmm, maybe they feel like they could just rent it one more time in order to finish it, and that would be cheaper than buying it?
Correct Answer:
B
Answer Choice Analysis:
(A) Irrelevant. We really only care about the thought process of someone who has just completed the rental phase and is considering buying the game.
(B) YES! This counters the objection of "Why don't they just rent it one more time, in order to finish the game but still save money." Apparently, you'd have to rent it at least 10 times to finish it (for most players). So that makes it seem like people at the end of the rental phase will be hooked and will realize that they're only 10% done with the game, so it's probably worth buying the game.
(C) This is too broad. Just because this publisher makes successful games doesn't give us anything specific enough about the mentality of someone who just finished a 2-day rental and is considering buying. We already know the game is inventive and compelling, so we don't need to be persuaded that it has some appeal.
(D) Weakens. This makes one more likely to say, "I'm not gonna buy it. Once I've solved it, it won't have any future value."
(E) The quantity of "some" is almost always wrong on Strengthen/Weaken. This is telling us that AT LEAST ONE person bought the game and gave it to a friend. We can't infer any trend or implication from just one data point. Also, there's not even info about whether this person bought the game outright or bought it after renting. AND, it would really serve to weaken the argument, since buying a copy and then giving it to a friend is something that overall would UNDERMINE sales of the game.
Takeaway/Pattern: This is the type of correct answer on Strengthen that is really "Ruling Out a Possible Objection". Make sure you still use a Weaken/Debating mindset when you evaluate an argument on Strengthen. By thinking of the objection, "What if people have already BEAT the game by the end of the rental phase?", we can better understand how (B) is helping the author's case.
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