An award-winning study by a group of researchers suggests that men are as prone to buying on impulse as women but women feel more guilty about shopping.
Which one of the following statements can be inferred from the given text?
A. Some men and women indulge in buying on impulse
B. All men and women indulge in buying on impulse
C. Few men and women indulge in buying on impulse
D. Many men and women indulge in buying on impulse
GATE 2019 · General Aptitude · Passage Reading · medium
Answer: A. Some men and women indulge in buying on impulse
Identify the key claim in the passage: The passage states: 'men are as prone to buying on impulse as women'. This tells us both groups have the tendency. It does not say all, most, few, or many — only that both share the same level of tendency.
Test each option against the passage: B — 'All men and women' is too strong; the study says prone (tendency), not universal. C — 'Few' implies scarcity which is not in the passage. D — 'Many' implies high frequency, which is also not stated. A — 'Some men and women' is the minimum claim supported: if both are prone, then at least some do indulge.
Confirm option A as the correct inference: From 'both men and women are prone to impulse buying' we can validly infer 'some men and some women indulge in buying on impulse'. No stronger quantifier is warranted.