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- Tue May 31, 2016 5:43 pm
#25846
Complete Question Explanation
Weaken. The correct answer choice is (B)
Here, the economist discusses the roles of corporate executives and public officials, and comes to the conclusion that business executives have become public officials.
The economist starts by describing the primary responsibility of corporate executives in free market systems: to determine a nation’s industrial technology, the pattern of work organization, location of industry, and resource allocation. Additionally, corporate executives make the decisions, subject to significant consumer control, about what is to be produced and in what quantities. Accordingly, the economist says that a large category of major decisions is turned over to business executives. For that reason, the economist concludes that business executives have become public officials.
A major flaw in this argument is that the economist does not tell us anything about what it means to be a “public official,” a term introduced for the first time in the conclusion. You may be tempted, based on your real world knowledge, to assume the duties of corporate executives and public officials are the same, or at least overlap. However, without a premise providing that information within this argument, the conclusion is unsupported.
Also, you may have noticed the shift in the argument from the use of the term “corporate executive” to “business executive.” Since these terms are essentially synonymous for the purposes of this stimulus, which does not delve into the differences between a business and a corporation, this shift is not a logical flaw. Rather, LSAC likely included the shift as a red herring to disguise the fact that the argument does not define the responsibilities of public officials.
The question stem identifies this as a Weaken question. Your prephrase is that the correct answer choice will exploit the failure of the stimulus to define the responsibilities of public officials.
Answer choice (A): While this choice pertains to the decisions made by governments in countries with centrally planned economies, the information in the stimulus dealt only with free market systems. Therefore, although the conclusion is stated broadly and does not distinguish public officials in free market systems from those in centrally planned economies, it is clear from the entire context of the argument that its conclusion refers to public officials in free market economies.
Answer choice (B): This is the correct answer choice, because it shows that several of the business executives’ responsibilities are not primary responsibilities of public officials.
Answer choice (C): This choice is irrelevant to the conclusion, because nothing in the argument referred to compensation, or the relationship between compensation and responsibility.
Answer choice (D): This choice does not undermine the conclusion, because the argument already provides for this information. The second premise stated that decisions regarding what is to be produced and in what quantity were subject to considerable consumer control.
Answer choice (E): This choice does not weaken the conclusion, because the fact that there is cooperation between business executives and public officials does not establish that business executives are public officials.
Weaken. The correct answer choice is (B)
Here, the economist discusses the roles of corporate executives and public officials, and comes to the conclusion that business executives have become public officials.
The economist starts by describing the primary responsibility of corporate executives in free market systems: to determine a nation’s industrial technology, the pattern of work organization, location of industry, and resource allocation. Additionally, corporate executives make the decisions, subject to significant consumer control, about what is to be produced and in what quantities. Accordingly, the economist says that a large category of major decisions is turned over to business executives. For that reason, the economist concludes that business executives have become public officials.
A major flaw in this argument is that the economist does not tell us anything about what it means to be a “public official,” a term introduced for the first time in the conclusion. You may be tempted, based on your real world knowledge, to assume the duties of corporate executives and public officials are the same, or at least overlap. However, without a premise providing that information within this argument, the conclusion is unsupported.
Also, you may have noticed the shift in the argument from the use of the term “corporate executive” to “business executive.” Since these terms are essentially synonymous for the purposes of this stimulus, which does not delve into the differences between a business and a corporation, this shift is not a logical flaw. Rather, LSAC likely included the shift as a red herring to disguise the fact that the argument does not define the responsibilities of public officials.
The question stem identifies this as a Weaken question. Your prephrase is that the correct answer choice will exploit the failure of the stimulus to define the responsibilities of public officials.
Answer choice (A): While this choice pertains to the decisions made by governments in countries with centrally planned economies, the information in the stimulus dealt only with free market systems. Therefore, although the conclusion is stated broadly and does not distinguish public officials in free market systems from those in centrally planned economies, it is clear from the entire context of the argument that its conclusion refers to public officials in free market economies.
Answer choice (B): This is the correct answer choice, because it shows that several of the business executives’ responsibilities are not primary responsibilities of public officials.
Answer choice (C): This choice is irrelevant to the conclusion, because nothing in the argument referred to compensation, or the relationship between compensation and responsibility.
Answer choice (D): This choice does not undermine the conclusion, because the argument already provides for this information. The second premise stated that decisions regarding what is to be produced and in what quantity were subject to considerable consumer control.
Answer choice (E): This choice does not weaken the conclusion, because the fact that there is cooperation between business executives and public officials does not establish that business executives are public officials.