GRE General TestAnalytical WritingEasy
A tech startup is seeking investment, claiming their new AI-powered personal assistant app, "Cognito," will revolutionize productivity. They state that early beta testers, who were all employees of the company, reported a 30% increase in daily task completion. What is the most significant flaw in the startup's argument regarding Cognito's broad effectiveness?
- AThe startup has not provided a direct comparison to other existing productivity apps.
- BThe beta testers, being employees, likely have a vested interest in Cognito's success.
- CThe term "daily task completion" is vague and lacks specific metrics for measurement.
- DThe claim of a 30% increase is not independently verified by a third-party audit.
Show answer & explanationAnswer & explanation
Correct answer: B. The beta testers, being employees, likely have a vested interest in Cognito's success.
The primary flaw lies in the potential bias of the beta testers. Employees are not representative of the general user population and may inflate results due to their personal interest in the company's success, leading to self-selection bias.
Why the other options are wrong
- A. Lack of comparison is a limitation, but the internal validity of the test group data is a more pressing logical issue for the argument's broad claim.
- C. Vagueness in metrics is a weakness, but the issue of biased sampling (self-selection) is a more fundamental flaw in the argument's generalizability.
- D. While independent verification is good practice, the core logical flaw here is about the sample itself, not the verification method.
Self-Selection Bias
A type of bias that arises when individuals select themselves into a group, causing the sample to not be representative of the larger population being studied.
- Occurs when participants choose whether or not to participate.
- Leads to a non-random sample.
- Can skew results and conclusions, making them not generalizable.
Memory trick: ARGUMENT: Always Recognize General Underpinnings, Measure Understated Nuances, Test logical consistency.