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XAT 2016 — Decision Making Question 11

Decision MakingEasy
Passage / Data

Answer the following question based on the information given below.

Purushottam Bhatnagar own and operates a sweetshop Puru and Sons. He is about 60 years old is eager to hand over the business to his sons Ratan and Pramod. He however, fears that his sons, fresh from college may not understand the tricks of the trade.

Purushottam’s eldest son discovered that the shop repackaged sweets that were close to expiry and sold them at a discount under different names. These sweets usually get sold very fast. But his son was concerned about the possible consequences of this practice.

Purushottam was thiking of the following arguments to convince his son.

  1. These sweets are consumed the same day and therefore there is no cause for worry.
  2. Reduced prices give enough indication about the sweets to the customers.
  3. These products are preferred by those who cannot afford full price and in a way, this is a service done to them.
  4. In the past 30 years not a single person has reported ill because of consumption of these sweets.
  5. Repacking and selling sweets is a common practice.

Which combination of arguments below is MOST LIKELY to convince Ratan?

Answer & solution

Correct answer: 1 and 4

  • A

    1 and 3

  • 1 and 4

  • C

    2 and 3

  • D

    2 and 5

  • E

    4 and 5

Solution

Option 1 is a strong argument as the sweets are close to expiry and there is no harm in consuming them immediately.
Option 2 is unethical on the part of Purushottam as he tries to put the entire responsibility on the shoulders of the customers. So, eliminate option 2.
Option 3 is unethical as offering sweets close to expiry at a low cost does not rule out the possibility of the customers falling sick due to its consumption. So, eliminate option 3.
Option 4 gives a concrete evidence in order to justify this practice and a clean history reduces the probability of negative consequences to a greater extent.
Option 5 is passive in nature and can be eliminated.
Hence, the correct answer is option 2.

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XAT 2016 Decision Making Q11: Purushottam’s eldest son discovered that the shop repackaged sweets that were close to expiry and sold t — Solution | TheCATExam