Summarize Argument
The telephone companies promoting voicemail conclude that voicemail will soon make answering machines obsolete. This prediction is supported by the observation that voicemail is more convenient, more flexible, and less expensive than answering machines.
Notable Assumptions
The telephone companies are assuming that there are not reasons other than convenience, flexibility, and cost that determine whether consumers use voicemail or answering machines. It could be true that voicemail is superior in convenience, flexibility, and cost, but users still prefer answering machines for some other reason. This would weaken the support for the conclusion that answering machines will soon be obsolete.
A
Unlike calls made to owners of answering machines, all telephone calls made to voice-mail subscribers are completed, even if the line called is in use at the time of the call.
This actually marginally strengthens the argument. (A) gives a reason why voicemail may be superior to answering machines.
B
The surge in sales of answering machines occurred shortly after they were first introduced to the electronics market.
This information about a past sales surge for answering machines has no impact on the prediction that answering machines will soon become obsolete. This claim is not relevant to the strength of support for the conclusion.
C
Once a telephone customer decides to subscribe to voice mail, that customer can cancel the service at any time.
This does not weaken the argument. This flexibility in subscription to voicemail gives another possible benefit to voicemail, and it does not weaken the argument that answering machines will soon be obsolete.
D
Answering machines enable the customer to hear who is calling before the customer decides whether to answer the telephone, a service voice mail does not provide.
This information weakens the argument because it provides a new reason that one may prefer answering machines over voicemail. Because of this benefit that voicemail does not have, there is less support for the prediction that answering machines will soon be obsolete.
E
The number of messages a telephone answering machine can record is limited by the length of the magnetic tape on which calls are recorded.
This information provides a downside to using answering machines. This does not weaken the argument that answering machines will soon be obsolete.
Summarize Argument
The author concludes that there should be a general reduction in the pace of bringing new drugs now being tested to the marketplace. This is based on the rule that the introduction of a new drug into the market place should depend on our having a good understanding of its social impact. Our understanding of the social impact of a newly marketed antihistamine, however, is not good.
Notable Assumptions
The author assumes that the social understanding of most new drugs now being tested is not good.
A
The social impact of the new antihistamine is much better understood than that of most new drugs being tested.
Our understanding of the new antihistamine is not clear. If that level of understanding is better than our understanding of most new drugs, that suggests our understanding of most new drugs is not good.
B
The social impact of some of the new drugs being tested is poorly understood.
This doesn’t help establish that there should be a “general reduction” in bringing new drugs to the market.
C
The economic success of some drugs is inversely proportional to how well we understand their social impact.
We don’t know the level of economic success of the new drugs being tested. So, this has no impact.
D
The new antihistamine is chemically similar to some of the new drugs being tested.
Chemical similarity does not imply similar levels of understanding concerning the social impact of a drug. Social impact can be entirely separate from the specific chemical makeup of a drug.
E
The new antihistamine should be on the market only if most new drugs being tested should be on the market also.
We know the antihistamine should not be on the market. But (E) doesn’t establish that this implies most new drugs shouldn’t be on the market. If you think it does, you’re mixing up sufficient and necessary conditions.