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Question

Difficulty: Very hardIdentifying Premises and Evidence

While critics of municipal broadband networks contend that public investment inevitably depresses private telecom infrastructure expansion, recent fiscal audits from several mid-sized districts reveal that cities establishing utility-run fiber networks experienced a 40 percent surge in private fiber-optic deployments by commercial ISPs over five years. Because public fiber installations lower the initial capital expenditure of laying conduit in dense urban corridors, commercial providers can expand their local networks far more cost-effectively. Therefore, municipal broadband programs actually stimulate, rather than suppress, overall private telecommunications development.

In the argument above, which of the following statements functions as the primary underlying premise offered to support the main conclusion?

  1. Public fiber installations lower the initial capital expenditure of laying conduit in dense urban corridors.Answer
  2. B
    Public investment in municipal broadband networks inevitably depresses private telecommunications infrastructure expansion.
  3. C
    Cities establishing utility-run fiber networks experienced a 40 percent surge in private fiber-optic deployments over five years.
  4. D
    Municipal broadband programs actually stimulate, rather than suppress, overall private telecommunications development.
  5. E
    Commercial internet service providers are generally unable to fund network expansion in urban corridors without municipal subsidies.

Answer

The statement that public fiber installations lower the initial capital expenditure of laying conduit in dense urban corridors.
The correct answer identifies the sentence beginning with 'Because public fiber installations lower...', which serves as the direct economic rationale for why commercial providers can expand cost-effectively. This logical bridge functions as the primary premise directly supporting the author's main conclusion that municipal broadband stimulates overall private telecom development.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Deconstruct the argument into its structural components.
Opposing view: critics contend public investment depresses private expansion. Empirical evidence: audits show a 40% surge in private deployments. Explanatory mechanism: public fiber lowers initial capital expenditure for conduit laying. Main conclusion: municipal broadband stimulates overall private development.
Identifying the functional role of each sentence is essential for isolating the core premise.
2
Distinguish between empirical observation evidence and the core analytical premise.
The 40% surge statistic is background observational evidence. The reduction in initial capital expenditure is the logical bridge/premise explaining why that surge occurred.
Premises directly supply the causal or logical rationale supporting the author's claim.
3
Match the identified core analytical premise with the correct option.
The option stating that public fiber installations lower initial capital expenditures corresponds exactly to the primary premise.
This claim answers why commercial ISPs are able to expand cost-effectively, directly underpinning the main conclusion.

Key Concept

Identifying Premises vs. Background Evidence and Conclusions
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Topics

Identifying Premises and Evidence

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