hassan66 wrote:I have a feeling that A is incorrect but I am having trouble pinpointing why exactly it is so.
A) A doesn't seem to use the information about the local company that D does use and it seems odd that the testmakers would include info in the stimulus and then completely disregard it. They might as a distraction technique but I still can't understand how this is wrong. The newspaper says that safety would be enhanced if new sirens are installed so if the paper is right then you change the probable would to will.
B) we can't know that the local company was correct
C) "in the area" but they could have gotten the sirens from a different place
D) The local company went out of business and for the newspaper to be correct that means that it was difficult for the government to get replacement sirens so they installed new sirens.
E) even if they are less reliable it doesn't necessarily mean that the government won't use them because they could still be replacement versions.
Thank you!
Hi Hassan,
This answer choice highlights the "gap filling" role that Justify answers play with an argument. So, let's first go back to the argument structure as identified above:
- Premise: Replacement parts difficult to obtain Purchase new sirens
Premise: Purchase new sirens Public will be safer
Premise: Local company has gone out of business
Conclusion: Public will be safer
Now, we were to diagram (A), it would appear as: Public will be safer
Purchase new sirens
As you may recall from the Justify Formula, you should be able to add the correct answer choice to the premises and thereby obtain the conclusion. So, would that achieve that result? Let's see:
- Premise: Replacement parts difficult to obtain Purchase new sirens
Premise: Purchase new sirens Public will be safer
Premise: Local company has gone out of business
(A): Public will be safer Purchase new sirens
In this case, the combination of elements above does not yield the conclusion that "Public will be safer." You get a double-arrow between purchase new sirens and safer public, but there's no active trigger to make it so new sirens are purchased (whereas (D) has that because of the parts problem).
Please let me know if that helps. Thanks!