Self-study
Albert: The government has proposed new automobile emissions regulations designed to decrease the amount of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) released into the atmosphere by automobile exhaust. █ █████ ███ ███ ████ ███ ████ ████████████ ████████ ████ ███ █████████ ██ ███████ ███████ █ ██████ ████ ███ █████ ████ ███████
█████ ██████████ ████ █████ ████ ███ ██████ █████████ ██████ ██ ████ ███████ ████ ████ ████ ████ ███ █████ ████████ ██ ███ ████████ ███████████ █████ ████ █████████ ██ ██████
Summarize Argument
Erin concludes that the proposed regulations aiming to decrease PAH emissions from automobile exhaust would save thousands of lives. This is because scientists blame PAHs for many premature deaths from lung and heart disease.
Notable Assumptions
Erin assumes that the scientists are right to see a causal link between PAHs and lung and heart disease, even if no such link has been proven for cancer. She also assumes the regulations will actually work to decrease PAHs.
10.
Which one of the following, ██ █████ ██ ███ █████████ █████████ ███████ ████ ██████ ███ ████ ██ ██████ █████████
a
Most automobile manufacturers ███ ████████ ███████ ██ ██████████ ██████████ █████████ ████████████
Whether or not automobile manufacturers support the regulations isn't relevant to Erin's main point, which is that these regulations will reduce PAH levels and save thousands of lives.
b
It is not █████ ███████ ████ ███ █ ██████ ██████ ██ ███ ████████ █████ ████ █████ ███ ████ ███████ ███ ███████
Erin's argument is only based on heart and lung disease, not on any other diseases. So pointing out that no causal link has been shown between PAHs and other diseases wouldn't be a relevant counter to her argument.
c
Even if no ███ ██████████ █████████ ███████████ ███ ████████ ███ ██████ ██ ████ ████████ ████ ███ ██████████ ████ ████████ ██ ██████████ █████ █████████
Not a good counter. Knowing that a decline in PAHs could happen on its own if automobile use declines, which we don't know will necessarily happen, doesn't weaken Erin's claim that passing these regulations now would save thousands of lives.
d
Most of the ████ ████████ ████ ███ ██████████ ███ ███ ██████ ██ ████ ███ ████ ██ ██████████ ██████
This is a strong counter. It tells us that these regulations won't actually work to significantly reduce PAH levels, since the regulations only target exhaust and not tires. So Erin's claim that the regulations would save thousands of lives seems much less likely.
e
PAHs are one ██ ███████ ██████████ ██ ██████████ ███████ ████ ██████████ ███████ ██ ███████ ███████
This claim doesn't affect Erin's argument. Her argument isn't based on a link between PAHs and cancer, but between PAHs and lung and heart disease.