Susan: But the major part of that increase occurred in the first 6 months after that legislation was enacted, right after your city’s free neighborhood health clinics opened, and before the vaccination campaign really got going.
Summarize Argument: Counter-Position
Susan implicitly concludes that Yuriko’s argument does not support the conclusion that her city’s campaign to encourage child vaccination should be imitated by Susan’s city. Susan points out that the increase in vaccination in Yuriko’s city mostly preceded the start of the campaign, and more directly followed the opening of free health clinics. This implies that the clinics really caused the increase.
Describe Method of Reasoning
Susan counters Yuriko’s support for the campaign by introducing additional evidence to undermine Yuriko’s assumptions about cause and effect. With evidence about the timing of the rise in vaccination relative to the start of the campaign and the clinics opening, Susan points out a more plausible alternative cause for the rise in vaccination.
A
She denies Yuriko’s assumption that Susan’s city wants to increase the vaccination rate for children.
Susan doesn’t make any assertions about whether or not her city wants to increase the vaccination rate.
B
She cites facts that tend to weaken the force of the evidence with which Yuriko supports her recommendation.
Susan cites the fact that free clinics opened directly before the major rise in vaccination rate, whereas the campaign only started after that rise. This weakens the evidence for Yuriko’s claim that the increase resulted from the campaign.
C
She introduces evidence to show that the campaign Yuriko advocates is only effective for a short period of time.
Susan doesn’t concede that the campaign was effective at all in her argument, for any amount of time.
D
She advances the claim that a campaign such as Yuriko recommends is not necessary because most parents already choose to have their children vaccinated.
Susan doesn’t argue that any campaign for increased vaccination is unnecessary, only that the particular campaign that Yuriko argues Susan’s city should imitate may not be effective.
E
She presents evidence to suggest that vaccination campaigns are usually ineffective.
Susan doesn’t make any claims against the effectiveness of vaccination campaigns in general, only the specific campaign that Yuriko argues Susan’s city should imitate.
Summarize Argument
The author concludes that the new maps will be far more useful. No evidence is provided for her claim.
Notable Assumptions
The author assumes that maps compiled using computerized weather data are more useful than maps based on primitive weather data gathered 60 years ago. In truth, this isn’t much of an assumption.
A
Home gardeners can provide information on plant flourishing not available from weather stations.
Home gardeners fill in the picture in the computer-assisted maps. The other maps don’t feature any home gardener input.
B
Some of the weather stations currently in use are more than 60 years old.
We have no idea if these weather stations are used in the new maps. Nor do we have any idea how the age of a weather station affects its ability to provide useful data.
C
Weather patterns can be described more accurately when more information is available.
The newer maps have more data than the old maps. Thus, they can more accurately describe weather patterns.
D
Weather conditions are the most important factor in determining where plants will grow.
These maps are designed to show where plants will grow. Since the new ones have better weather data, they’ll be more helpful.
E
Weather patterns have changed in the past 60 years.
Weather data from 60 years ago, which is what the old maps have, isn’t very helpful.
Summarize Argument
The author concludes that the embezzler is like one of the actuaries at XYZ Corporation. This is because the embezzler must have had specialized knowledge about financial records, and the author believes this proves the embezzler was either an accountant or an actuary at XYZ. And, the author believes the embezzler was unlikely to be an accountant, because the ledger mistakes that led to the discovery of the embezzlement probably wouldn’t have been made by an accountant.
Notable Assumptions
The author assumes that only accountants or actuaries at XYZ would have had the specialized knowledge necessary to do the embezzlement. The author also assumes that an actuary isn’t just as unlikely as an accountant is to make the kind of mistake that led to the discovery of the embezzlement.
A
The actuaries’ activities while working for XYZ Corporation were more closely scrutinized by supervisors than were the activities of the accountants.
This provides a reason to think actuaries are less likely than accountants are to have committed the embezzlement. If actuaries’ activities were more closely scrutinized, that suggests it was more difficult for them to cheat.
B
There is evidence of breaches in computer security at the time of the embezzlement that could have given persons outside of XYZ Corporation access to internal financial records.
This questions the assumption that only an actuary or accountant at XYZ could have had the specialized knowledge to commit the embezzlement. If someone outside XYZ could have had that knowledge, then the suspects don’t have to be limited in the way the author assumes.
C
XYZ Corporation employs eight accountants, whereas it has only two actuaries on its staff.
Maybe each accountant had only a 49% chance of making the mistake that led to the discovery. But if there are 8 accountants, collectively the chance of one of those accountants making the mistake might be higher than the chance one of the two actuaries made the mistake.
D
An independent report released before the crime took place concluded that XYZ Corporation was vulnerable to embezzlement.
This doesn’t provide any reason to think the embezzler isn’t one of the actuaries. (D) helps establish that XYZ was vulnerable to embezzlement, but doesn’t suggest anything about what kind of person could have been the embezzler. (Correct because this is an EXCEPT question.)
E
Certain security measures at XYZ Corporation made it more difficult for the actuaries to have access to internal financial records than for the accountants.
This provides a reason to think actuaries are less likely than accountants are to have committed the embezzlement.
Summarize Argument
The author concludes that changes in sea temperature that seem small will result in declining fish and seabird populations. This conclusion is supported by a description of a causal chain: a temperature increase of two degrees prevents the vertical mixing of seawater, which prevents phytoplankton from having access to nutrients. Zooplankton consume phytoplankton, so these zooplankton lose their food source, and the rest of the food chain is based on zooplankton. So the seemingly minor temperature increase results in a loss in food for the entire food chain.
Identify Argument Part
The statement in the question stem demonstrates how the loss of nutrients for phytoplankton impacts food sources for the broader food chain. (Zooplankton consume phytoplankton, and everything else relies on zooplankton for nutrients).
A
It is a hypothesis supported by the fact that phytoplankton feed on upwelling nutrients.
The fact that zooplankton consume phytoplankton does not receive support from any other part of the argument; it is a premise that we accept at face value. Further, it is not a hypothesis; it is a premise that supports the conclusion.
B
It is intended to provide an example of the ways in which the vertical mixing of seawater affects feeding habits.
The claim in the question stem is a description of a general relationship that is used as a premise. Also, it is not about the impact on feeding habits; it is about food access. The zooplankton would still eat phytoplankton if they were available.
C
It helps show how global temperature changes affect larger sea animals indirectly.
The statement in the question stem connects zooplankton to phytoplankton. This connection is a link in the causal chain that more broadly connects temperature increases to declining populations of fish and seabirds, showing how temperature changes affect sea animal populations.
D
It is offered as one reason that global warming must be curtailed.
There is no value judgement in the argument; the argument does not give any recommendations for action.
E
It is offered in support of the idea that global warming poses a threat to all organisms.
This argument shows how global warming poses a threat to fish and seabird populations, not to all organisms generally. This answer choice is too broad.
Summarize Argument: Phenomenon-Hypothesis
Some naturalists hypothesize that polar bears can navigate from unfamiliar territory to familiar areas across long distances. As support for this hypothesis, they reference a polar bear that returned home after it was released over 500 km away.
Notable Assumptions
The stimulus defines navigation as finding a way from an unfamiliar territory to familiar areas, but in the example of the polar bear, we don’t know if the polar bear was released in unfamiliar territory. The naturalists assume that the polar bear was released in unfamiliar territory. They also assume that the polar bear didn’t receive any other assistance in making its way home.
A
The polar bear stopped and changed course several times as it moved toward its home territory.
The fact that the polar bear changed course several times doesn’t contradict the fact that the polar bear successfully made it home after being released 500 km away.
B
The site at which the polar bear was released was on the bear’s annual migration route.
(B) weakens the argument because it shows that the polar bear did not meet one of the requirements of navigation: finding its way through unfamiliar territory. If the site at which the polar bear was released was familiar, then its actions don’t fit the definition of navigation.
C
The route along which the polar bear traveled consisted primarily of snow and drifting ice.
The terrain through which an animal is navigating is not relevant to the argument; we only care about if the polar bear was navigating.
D
Polar bears are only one of many species of mammal whose members have been known to find their way home from considerable distances.
It doesn’t matter how many animals are capable of finding their way home across long distances. We only care about if the example cited by the naturalists is aligned with the definition of navigation.
E
Polar bears often rely on their extreme sensitivity to smell in order to scent out familiar territory.
The argument is concerned with whether or not the polar bear was navigating, not how it was able to do so. The fact that polar bears often use smell is not relevant.