A
It is the main conclusion drawn in the argument.
B
It is presented as an example of the phenomenon the argument seeks to explain.
C
It is meant as an aside and is not supposed to provide evidence in support of the argument’s conclusion.
D
It is a premise that is intended to support the argument’s main conclusion directly.
E
It is an example that is offered in support of a premise that is intended to support the argument’s main conclusion directly.
A
There are more people who are skilled at playing both the guitar and the banjo than there are people who are skilled at playing only one of the two instruments.
B
A person trying to learn how to play the guitar is more likely to succeed in doing so than is a person trying to learn how to play the banjo.
C
Playing the guitar takes more skill than playing the banjo does.
D
There are more people who are skilled at playing the guitar than there are people who are skilled at playing the banjo.
E
There are more people who are skilled at playing the banjo than there are people who are skilled at playing the guitar.
A
The polls of graduating university students were designed to avoid overrepresenting any single academic discipline.
B
The political views of people with a university education are to a large degree influenced by their professors, and university professors are usually against reducing government social services.
C
Polls of retired persons who have not graduated from a university show a higher percentage of persons in favor of reducing government social services than do polls of retired persons who have graduated from a university.
D
Polls of those who graduated from a university more than five years before being polled show a higher percentage of people in favor of reducing government social services than do polls of the overall population.
E
In the polls cited, graduating university students were more likely to express strong opinions about the question of reducing government social services than were students entering a university.
Columnist: Some people argue that the government should not take over failing private-sector banks because the government does not know how to manage financial institutions. However, rather than managing a bank’s day-to-day operations, the government would just need to select the bank’s senior management. Most politicians have never been military professionals, yet they appoint the top military officials entrusted with defending the country—at least as great a responsibility as managing a bank.
Summary
Some people argue the government should not take over failing private-sector banks because the government does not know how to manage financial institutions. However, the government would just need to select the bank’s senior management, not manage day-to-day operations. Most politicians have never been military professionals, yet they appoint the top military officials. This is at least as great a responsibility as managing a bank.
Notable Valid Inferences
Managing the military requires more knowledge than managing a private-sector bank does.
Government-owned banks can be well managed.
Politicians do an acceptable job when appointing top military officials to defend the country.
A
Commanding a branch of the military requires greater knowledge than running a bank does.
Could be true. The Columnist tells us that appointing top military officials is as least as great a responsibility as managing a bank. It is possible that commanding a military branch requires greater knowledge if it requires as much or more responsibility.
B
Politicians do an adequate job of appointing the top military officials entrusted with defending the country.
Could be true. The Columnist tells us that appointing top military officials is as least as great a responsibility as managing a bank in order to support their main conclusion. It is consistent for the Columnist to believe that politicians do an adequate job.
C
Politicians are not capable of managing a bank’s day-to-day operations.
Could be true. It is possible that the Columnist believes politicians are not capable of managing day-to-day operations, but the Columnist claims that politicians would not have to do this anyway. Instead, the politicians would select senior management.
D
Banks that are owned by the government cannot be well managed.
Must be false. This answer choice directly contradicts the Columnist’s argument in the stimulus. The Columnists is arguing against the people who claim the government should not take over failing private-sector banks.
E
The government should not take over private-sector banks that are financially sound.
Could be true. The argument in the stimulus is restricted to government takeover of failing private-sector banks. It is possible the Columnist believes the government should not take over private banks that are financially stable.