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- Sat Jan 21, 2012 12:00 am
#36350
Complete Question Explanation
Question #9: Must Be True. The correct answer choice is (D)
This stimulus presents a number of facts about microchips, but the author makes no argument and,
thus, draws no conclusion. This computer scientist discusses the various advances, in both speed and
cost, that have been brought to the microchip industry. Over the past several decades the number of
microchip transistors that are used on newly produced computer chips has doubled every eighteen
months. This served to double the microchips’ computing speed eighteen months as well. And during
the period from the mid-90s into the next decade, the cost of production of each microchip doubled
as well.
The question stem is a Must be True, which is not surprising, given that the stimulus is a simple
fact set. The right answer must pass the Fact Test, which means that it can be confirmed by the
information presented in the stimulus.
Answer choice (A): Very often in Logical Reasoning, and particularly on Must Be True questions,
incorrect answer choices can be ruled out based on a single word or phrase. This answer choice, for
example, can be ruled out based on the use of the term “only.” According to the stimulus, doubling
the number of transistors per microchip was clearly one effective way to double the computing speed
of the microchips, but that does not necessarily mean that doing so was the only effective way. The
scientist does not say that there are no other ways to double the computing speed of microchips, so
this choice cannot be confirmed by the information in the stimulus, fails the Fact Test, and cannot be
the right answer.
Answer choice (B): If this answer choice was appealing, that might be because you brought outside
information to the analysis. The scientist does not discuss the retail cost of computers, though, so this
choice cannot pass the Fact Test; since it cannot be confirmed by the facts in the stimulus, this cannot
be the right answer.
Answer choice (C): The costs associated with microchip production seems to have been increasing
quite quickly (doubling every 18 months seems impressive), but that does not necessarily mean that
nothing was done to control those costs. (it’s possible that cost control efforts were constant, and
that without them costs would have increased by even more) In any case, the issue of cost control
efforts is never mentioned in the author’s discussion of microchip production and costs presented in
the stimulus, so this choice fails the Fact Test and cannot be the right answer to this Must be True
question.
Answer choice (D): This is the correct answer choice. As we know from the stimulus, during the
last few decades the number of transistors on each microchip has been doubling every 18 months,
and that from the mid-1990s into the next decade, there was also a doubling of microchip production
costs every 18 months.
Answer choice (E): The computer scientist only discusses the trends from the past several decades,
and makes no claims about the future of the costs associated with increases to computer speed, nor
the likelihood that speed can be gained without increasing costs. Since there is no way to confirm
this choice from the facts provided in the stimulus, it cannot pass the Fact Test and should be ruled
out of contention.
Question #9: Must Be True. The correct answer choice is (D)
This stimulus presents a number of facts about microchips, but the author makes no argument and,
thus, draws no conclusion. This computer scientist discusses the various advances, in both speed and
cost, that have been brought to the microchip industry. Over the past several decades the number of
microchip transistors that are used on newly produced computer chips has doubled every eighteen
months. This served to double the microchips’ computing speed eighteen months as well. And during
the period from the mid-90s into the next decade, the cost of production of each microchip doubled
as well.
The question stem is a Must be True, which is not surprising, given that the stimulus is a simple
fact set. The right answer must pass the Fact Test, which means that it can be confirmed by the
information presented in the stimulus.
Answer choice (A): Very often in Logical Reasoning, and particularly on Must Be True questions,
incorrect answer choices can be ruled out based on a single word or phrase. This answer choice, for
example, can be ruled out based on the use of the term “only.” According to the stimulus, doubling
the number of transistors per microchip was clearly one effective way to double the computing speed
of the microchips, but that does not necessarily mean that doing so was the only effective way. The
scientist does not say that there are no other ways to double the computing speed of microchips, so
this choice cannot be confirmed by the information in the stimulus, fails the Fact Test, and cannot be
the right answer.
Answer choice (B): If this answer choice was appealing, that might be because you brought outside
information to the analysis. The scientist does not discuss the retail cost of computers, though, so this
choice cannot pass the Fact Test; since it cannot be confirmed by the facts in the stimulus, this cannot
be the right answer.
Answer choice (C): The costs associated with microchip production seems to have been increasing
quite quickly (doubling every 18 months seems impressive), but that does not necessarily mean that
nothing was done to control those costs. (it’s possible that cost control efforts were constant, and
that without them costs would have increased by even more) In any case, the issue of cost control
efforts is never mentioned in the author’s discussion of microchip production and costs presented in
the stimulus, so this choice fails the Fact Test and cannot be the right answer to this Must be True
question.
Answer choice (D): This is the correct answer choice. As we know from the stimulus, during the
last few decades the number of transistors on each microchip has been doubling every 18 months,
and that from the mid-1990s into the next decade, there was also a doubling of microchip production
costs every 18 months.
Answer choice (E): The computer scientist only discusses the trends from the past several decades,
and makes no claims about the future of the costs associated with increases to computer speed, nor
the likelihood that speed can be gained without increasing costs. Since there is no way to confirm
this choice from the facts provided in the stimulus, it cannot pass the Fact Test and should be ruled
out of contention.
doubling in the cost of producing that microchip.
instead of 
Fabricate is a word that can have two meanings, and in this question the less-common meaning (to construct or manufacture) was being used.