I thought B was incorrect because I assumed that a smaller population and economy inherently made the payoff easier and therefore strengthened the argument. My mistake was making an assumption about information that wasn't there.

B is correct because it points out the discrepancy in the analogy/ assumption the columnist is making - just because other cities had a payoff in investment, doesn't mean our city will definitively have payoff in investment. Why? Because other cities differ in size. Different sizes could affect the payoff.

Got it correct the first time. During blind review, overthought "but" as counter argument and misunderstood the stimulus.

I picked C, however I wasn't recognizing the analogy properly. I originally thought the analogy that needed to be made was "public servants are better suited to make decisions than the average person." However, the analogy is D because

No one = public servant

serious medical problem = interest of the public

rely on = base decisions on

the average person = average person's

to prescribe treatment = recommendations

The first two sentences are the main idea that the author is trying to make - that people should vote, even if it seems like one person's vote might be insignificant. Sentences three and four use an analogy to support the idea that people should vote.

E is incorrect because it refers to sentences three and four, the analogy (and therefore premise) used to support the first two sentences.

A is correct because it refers to what is being implied in the first two sentences, that voting is important/ people should vote.

One thing that threw me off is that the idea of "people should vote" is not explicit. The bigger thing that threw me off is that the analogy feels like a false equivalence. On my first read, I assumed sentences one and two were equal to/ part of sentences three and four. Once I realized they were two separate ideas (a comparison of apples and oranges), it was easier to see how sentences three and four were being used to support sentences one and two.

Basically, the author uses what feels like poor support for his argument, but we still have to differentiate the main idea from the poor support.

There are two aspects of having an "enjoyable life." D is wrong because it only covers one aspect of an enjoyable life - friends/ associates who share the same beliefs. C is correct because it speaks to an enjoyable life more generally, thereby covering friends/ associates who share the same beliefs and lifestyle choices that align with personal beliefs.