#11 - Concept Reference, Must Be True, Purpose/Function

[Administrator]

Question Line Reference
(See the complete passage discussion here: lsat/viewtopic.php?t=11038)

The correct answer choice is (B)

The justification for the correct answer choice can be found on:

(Lines 26-32)

This is another great one to prephrase: we know that the whole point of the passage is to warn against the detriment of gray marketing, and the third-paragraph reference to effects on goodwill is no exception. This is presented in order to show that gray marketing is bad, and that trademark owners are justified in seeking protection. Answer choices (A) is inaccurate (knowing this author, we could stop reading after the first three words of this choice). Answer choices (C), (D),and (E) cannot be verified by the information provided in the passage, but our prephrase is reflected in answer choice (B), with reference to “manufacturers.” Those who need trademark protection are referred to as “trademark owners” by the author (and in previous question), but they are identified as “manufacturers” by implication on line 7 of the passage, verifying (B) as the correct answer choice.

[haileymarkt]

Can you go into a little more depth into how (B) passed the Fact Test?

I isolated the lines that discussed "goodwill", however, I passed over (B) as an option because the answer choice discusses manufacturers but the lines discussed trademark owners. When I got to (E) I thought this was the right answer because the next phrase discusses extended products which I though answer choice (E) included with elimination of service.

Thanks!

[James Finch]

Hi Hailey,

It looks like you missed an inference from the third paragraph: manufacturers, the companies making and warrantying products, are a category of trademark owners, and in fact the principal one the passage is concerned with. Combining the information in lines 29-35 with that of the second paragraph makes this inference clear, as the distinction drawn in paragraph 3 between trademark owners and authorized distributors echoes the distinction in paragraph 2 between manufacturers and authorized dealers. As described in the original post, this is a purpose question, asking what the ultimate role in the overall argument the indicated lines play, which is to show that gray marketing hurts trademark owners/manufacturers.

(E) is actually an opposite answer, as for the paragraph to actually fulfill its role in showing damage to manufacturers it would have to be false; consumers would have to be buying goods for lower prices with the trade-off of less service from gray marketing distributors, while (E) says the opposite.

Hope this clears things up!

[annabelle.swift]

Hi! I'm still confused about how the passage implied that manufacturers are a category of trademark holders.

I read James' post, but I don't understand how the distinction b/w manufacturers and authorized dealers in Paragraph 2 echoing the distinction b/w trademark holders and authorized dealers in Paragraph 3 is enough to imply that manufacturers are a type of trademark holder. Can't there be two groups that are each different from another group without being the same group?

Thank you!

[evelineliu]

Hi Annabelle,

The passage equates manufacturers to trademark holders in paragraph one. "Trademark holder" appears in line 3 when the passage talks about the trademark holder not authorizing selling through channels of distribution, and then in line 7, "manufacturer-authorized distributors." As such, manufacturers are one type of trademark holder.

Hope that helps,
Eveline

[cgleeson]

Hello,
This question confused me and I think after reading some of the responses I may have detected where I had gone wrong. I chose answer choice C, I picked this choice because it wasn't registering with me and I was able to negate the other 4 choices.
This is why the other choices are wrong:
A - the author is clearly in support of trademark owners so this one is deleted
C- the one I chose is wrong because the author doesn't discuss gray marketing across markets, let alone comparing it one a particular market. (In my view, and I may interpret this wrongly too)
D - the passage does not talk about unauthorized distributors "not always" benefiting from gray marketing
E - the passage talks about the consumer being shortchanged in regards to service, pre and post sales, it never mentions a price reduction.

B- is the right answer because the trademark owners are experiencing damage from lack of legal protection. Lines 22 and 33 in my view demonstrate the damages experienced by the trademark owners.

Am I on track here? I swear I will figure this stuff out LOL

[Adam Tyson]

Well done, Chris, you are indeed on track! Also, think of it in context when you prephrase: the line in question is in a paragraph that is all about showing why trademark owners are justified in arguing against gray marketing. The argument is that it hurts them, and that's why they oppose it. Using that context, then, why is the author talking about goodwill? To support the argument that gray marketing hurts them. With that prephrase in mind, the correct answer should stand out clearly!

[cgleeson]

Excellent, thank you again Adam!

Well done, Chris, you are indeed on track! Also, think of it in context when you prephrase: the line in question is in a paragraph that is all about showing why trademark owners are justified in arguing against gray marketing. The argument is that it hurts them, and that's why they oppose it. Using that context, then, why is the author talking about goodwill? To support the argument that gray marketing hurts them. With that prephrase in mind, the correct answer should stand out clearly!

[olenka.ballena@macaulay.cuny.edu]

Hi Powerscore,

I ultimately chose answer B, but I was stuck between B and E for a while. I didn't have trouble recognizing that trade mark owners = manufacturers, however, I had trouble understanding how manufacturers "sustain damage against which they ought to be protected". Isn't that implying that the trademark owners/manufacturers are sustaining/causing damage against themselves? Which I don't really understand how the passage shows that?

I chose B regardless because I didn't think E made any more sense, but I would like some clarification on the complete meaning/reasoning behind answer choice B. Thank you!

[katehos]

Hi olenka.ballena!

Answer choice (B) is saying that the discussion of goodwill serves to show a way that manufacturers are being damaged by gray marketing and this damage is something they should be protected from, not that manufacturers are damaging themselves. This idea aligns nicely with the context of the paragraph, as the entire second paragraph is attempting to show why trademark owners are "justified" to argue "against grey marketing".

Answer choice (E), on the other hand, is not something the text supports. Try to think about the context here again, does the author, at any point, argue that consumers are unwilling to accept a price reduction? No! There is a discussion of how authorized distributors may stop promoting products if the product becomes available at lower prices in authorized channels, but nothing about consumers failing to accept a price reduction. If anything, if consumers were not willing to buy goods that are cheaper because they lack post/pre-sale services, that would mean gray marketing isn't such a big issue! Consumers would then pay the regular price in order to get those services and gray marketing would lose its appeal. That's why you can consider (E) to be an "opposite answer", since the paragraph is explicitly about the harms gray marketing causes to manufacturers, and if gray marketing isn't an issue then there can't be much harm.

I hope this helps
Kate