PT54.S2.Q26 - the government will purchase and install new severe weather sirens

babybenny

http://7sage.com/lsat_explanations/lsat-54-section-2-question-26/
I'm confused between C and D. I chose D because I just felt it made more sense, but I still have no idea why D is a better answer than C.

Does the conclusion also make sense if C is an answer just like D?
And if this question is about a necessary assumption instead of a sufficient assumption, can C be an answer?

Please someone enlighten me. Thanks!

naveedhalavi

Lets break it down:

1. IF replacement parts for the old sirens are difficult to obtain ----> THEN the government will purchase and install new severe weather sirens for this area next year.

2. IF the new sirens were to be installed ------> Then as the news paper claims, public safety in the event of severe weather would be enhanced.

3. The Local company for which replacement parts were purchased last year has since gone out of business

CONCLUSION: So, if the newspaper is correct, the public will be safer during severe weather in the future.

So the sufficient assumption that we're looking for would bridge the gap between the premises and the conclusion.

(C) is tempting because the fact that a local company is the only company in the area that sold the replacement parts and they're out of business seems to fit the idea that they are"difficult to obtain", but it still leaves open the possibility of getting the parts from elsewhere. Just because the local company is the only company that sells the parts doesn't mean that they can't get replacement parts out of the area, or order it online... So it wouldn't 100% lock down the idea that parts will be difficult to obtain.

(D) is correct because it fills in the gap perfectly by saying that if the government cannot obtain them from the company it purchased them from last year ----> then the replacement parts for the old sirens will be difficult to obtain. If you connect this with premises 1 & 2 above, it comes out to a valid conditional statement where it follows:

Government cannot obtain old siren replacement parts from the company it purchased it from last year -----> Old siren replacement parts are considered difficult to obtain -----> The government will purchase and install new severe weather sirens -----> In the event of severe weather public safety will be enhanced.

I hope that explanation helps! and also for future explanations this might help = http://www.manhattanprep.com/lsat/blog/2010/05/14/lsat-questions-answers-explanations/