Self-study
Alan: Government subsidies have been proposed in Cariana to encourage farmers in Rochelle, the country’s principal agricultural region, to implement certain new farming techniques. ██████ █████ ██████████ ███ ████████████ ███████ ██ ██████████ ███████ ██████ ██ ███████████ ██████████████ ███████ ██████ ██████ ██ ████████ ███ ██████ ████ ██ ███ ███ ███████████ █████ ███ ████ █████████ ████ █████ █████████ █████ ██████████ ███████ ██████████ ████████████ ██████ ██ ████████ ████ ██████████ ████████
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Structure: Counter-Argument
The stimulus presents two arguments about government subsidies for the agricultural district of Rochelle in the country of Cariana. Alan argues that, since implementing new agricultural techniques is necessary to control the erosion of productive topsoil, and since farmers can't afford to implement these new techniques on their own, agricultural output in Rochelle will "inevitably decline" without subsidies.
Betty responds that the cause of the erosion is recurring floods, which will stop when Cariana finishes a new dam next year. She concludes that Rochelle's total agricultural output will "stabilize at the present level" even if Rochelle doesn't receive subsidies.
Analysis: Necessary Assumptions
Betty states in her premise that the cause of the erosion will be eliminated next year — so starting sometime next year, Rochelle's topsoil will no longer be eroded due to flooding. Her conclusion states that Rochelle's agricultural production will stabilize at the present level. This very specific prediction about the net effect of building the dam requires Betty to assume that between this year and next, when the dam will be completed, there will not be enough erosion of topsoil or other changes that will cause a permanent decline in Rochelle's agricultural production. Betty also assumes that the dam will be completed and not just abandoned.
12.
Betty uses which one of ███ █████████ █████████████ ██████████ ██ ██████████ ████████ █████████
a
showing that one ███████ ██ ████████ ████████ ██ ████████████ ████ ███████ ███████ ██ ███ ████████
Incorrect. Betty doesn't make any statements directly about Alan's premises, still less claim that they are incompatible with each other.
b
making additional claims █████ ██ ████████ █████████ █ ███████ ██ ████████ ████████
Correct. If Betty is right that floods are the cause of erosion in Rochelle, and that those floods will end once the dam is completed, then she effectively undermines Alan's premise that without the new farming techniques, erosion of topsoil "cannot be controlled." If the dam stops the floods and ends the erosion, then the new farming techniques will not be necessary to control the erosion.
c
demonstrating that Alan’s ██████████ ██ ████ ███ ███ ███ ███ ███████ ████ █████ ██ ███████ ██
Incorrect. Betty never demonstrates that Alan's conclusion is true. Her argument is opposed to Alan's conclusion.
d
presenting evidence indicating ████ ███ ██████ ████ ██████ ██ █████ ██ █████ ████ ████████ ████████████ ████ ████████ ███ ████████ ████████████
Incorrect. Betty doesn't present any evidence about the consequences, positive or negative, of subsidizing these new farming techniques as Alan advocates.
e
pointing out that ████████ ████████ ██████████ ██████████ █████████ ██ ███ █████ ██ █ █████ ████ ██ ██ ██████ ██ ██████ ██ ████ █████
Incorrect. Betty doesn't directly attack Alan's argument, let alone claim that he has confused an effect for a cause.