PT16.S3.Q6

PrepTest 16 - Section 3 - Question 6

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Support Recent unexpectedly heavy rainfalls in the metropolitan area have filled the reservoirs and streams; Conclusion water rationing, therefore, will not be necessary this summer.

Summarize Argument

The author concludes that water rationing won't be needed this summer in a particular metropolitan area. In support, the author explains that heavy rain has recently filled the reservoirs and streams in the area. The author is making an argument about cause and effect, claiming that the full reservoirs and streams will cause the area not to need water rationing.

Although the link between full reservoirs and streams and plentiful water in the metropolitan area may seem intuitive, the argument relies on assumptions. Specifically, the author has to assume that this plentiful supply is sufficient to eliminate the need for rationing.

Objective: Weaken

If we can undermine the author's assumption, that lets us weaken the argument.

An answer choice undermining an assumption this broad could come in different forms. For example, the correct answer could tell us that the metropolitan area uses so much water that the extra rain simply wouldn't be enough, but it could also say that the water currently in the reservoirs and streams won't last until the summer, or many other possibilities. So we should keep an open mind and focus on the effect each answer choice has on the argument.

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6.

Which one of the following, ██ █████ ████ ██████████ ███ ██████████ ███████████

a

Water rationing was ███████ ██ ███ ████ ██ █████ ██ ███ ████ ████ ██████

b

A small part ██ ███ ████████ █████ ██████ ██ ████████ ████ ████ ███████████ █████ ███████ ████ ███ ███ ███████ ██ ██████████

c

The water company’s ████████ ██ ████ █████ ██ █████████ ███ ███ ████ ██ ████ ███ █████████ ██████ ███████ ██ ██████████ ██████ ██ ███ ████████████ █████

d

The long-range weather ████████ ████████ ██████████████████ ████████████ ███ ████ ███████

e

In most years ███ ████ ████████ ████ █████ █████████████ ██ ███ ██████ ████ ██ ████████ ██ ███ █████ ███████

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