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Difficulty: EasyEvaluating Passage Arguments and Claims

In recent years, several urban planning analysts have argued that converting vacant downtown office buildings into residential apartments is the most effective strategy for reviving struggling commercial districts. Proponents claim that increasing the number of downtown residents will automatically boost revenue for local retail businesses and restaurants. However, this claim assumes that downtown residents will spend their discretionary income at local establishments.

Which of the following, if true, most seriously weakens the proponents' claim about the financial impact on local retail businesses?

  1. Most retail businesses in commercial districts depend far more heavily on daytime office workers than on nighttime residents for their primary revenue.Answer
  2. B
    Converting commercial buildings into residential apartments creates construction jobs that temporarily increase local spending.
  3. C
    City officials in neighboring jurisdictions have recently increased property taxes on commercial real estate.
  4. D
    Some downtown residential conversion projects encounter minor delays due to municipal permitting procedures.
  5. E
    Every single retail business located in a downtown area is guaranteed to fail unless office space is completely eliminated.

Answer

The argument is most weakened by the finding that local retail businesses depend primarily on daytime office workers rather than downtown residents for revenue.
The correct option demonstrates that local retail businesses rely predominantly on daytime office workers for revenue rather than evening residents. If office workers are replaced by residents who do not generate equivalent sales volume, the main benefit claimed by proponents will fail to materialize, thereby weakening the claim.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify the core claim made by the proponents.
Proponents claim that converting office space to housing boosts local retail business revenue by increasing the resident population.
Understanding the precise causal link in the claim is required before evaluating what weakens it.
2
Analyze how each choice affects the logical relationship between added residents and local retail revenue.
Showing that retail businesses rely mainly on daytime office workers demonstrates that replacing office workers with residents fails to restore revenue.
A valid weakener breaks the connection between the premise (adding residents) and the conclusion (boosting retail business).

Key Concept

Evaluating argument validity by identifying evidence that weakens a causal assertion
Estimated Time:1m 0s
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Topics

Evaluating Passage Arguments and Claims

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