PrepTest 136

Incorrect. If this is the case, then it makes sense why the president would predict an increase in sales, but this provides no reason to believe they will increase. Just because the security feature cost a lot doesn't mean it's going to increase sales.

Incorrect. This answer is tempting because it seems to suggest that Digitalgame's market share is dropping because of the piracy, so stopping it will let them get a bigger share of that growing market. However, there's no indication that everyone isn't subject to widespread piracy. It could be that the market is growing despite this piracy, and Digitalgame is losing market share because they're releasing bad games.

Correct. Argument or Facts:
Argument

Valid or Flawed:
Flawed

Question Type:
Strengthen

Stimulus Summary:
Problem - Digitalgame's games are widely pirated
Solution - Copy protection feature
Prediction - Substantial increase in sales

Answer Anticipation:
Digitalgame is facing a problem—their games are widely pirated. If only they could stop that piracy, reasons the company's president, then their sales would go up.

Why does she believe sales will go up? Well, she's assuming that the people who are pirating the game would buy it if they couldn't play it for free. But that's not necessarily the case—maybe they'd play some other game they could pirate, or a cheaper game, or a better game. There's no reason to believe the individuals who are pirating the game are potential consumers, so any answer that gives reason to believe someone who can't pirate one of DG's games will buy it will strengthen the prediction.

Answer Explanation:
This answer explains an ingenious feature of the copy protection feature—it essentially allows people to demo the game. If the copy protection stopped them from playing a pirated copy of the game, there would be no reason to believe they'd buy it instead. This answer gives us a reason to believe they would buy it instead—they get to try it, enjoy it, and then have more of a reason to buy it. This absolutely strengthens the prediction.

Key Takeaway:
Be very clear about the assumption being made in the argument. There are a lot of answers here that suggest that DG's games should sell well, but only one that specifically addresses whether someone who was pirating a game would become a buyer.

Incorrect. There's no indication that these reviews drive sales when piracy isn't an option to obtain the games.

Incorrect. While this answer does suggest that DG faces a piracy problem bigger than other companies, it doesn't do anything to suggest that these individuals will therefore buy the games if they can't get them for free.