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Difficulty: EasyStrengthening Arguments

A municipal public transit agency recently installed high-definition security cameras in all city buses to decrease instances of vandalism. Following the installation, reported cases of vandalism aboard buses dropped by forty percent over a six-month period. Consequently, transit officials concluded that the visible presence of the new cameras successfully deterred potential vandals from committing crimes on the buses.

Which of the following statements, if true, provides the strongest support for the transit officials' conclusion?

  1. A
    Simultaneously with the camera installation, the transit agency doubled the number of uniformed security officers patrolling the buses.
  2. B
    The new high-definition security cameras cost significantly less to maintain than the older camera models used in neighboring cities.
  3. During the same six-month period, rates of vandalism in nearby unmonitored public spaces across the city remained unchanged.Answer
  4. D
    Surveys indicate that most bus passengers felt significantly safer after noticing the newly installed security cameras.
  5. E
    The transit agency plans to install identical high-definition camera systems in train stations early next year.

Answer

The argument is most strongly supported by the statement indicating that during the same six-month period, rates of vandalism in nearby unmonitored public spaces across the city remained unchanged.
The correct answer strengthens the argument by ruling out an alternative cause. If vandalism in surrounding unmonitored areas remained constant while bus vandalism dropped, it becomes far more plausible that the presence of the cameras on the buses was the specific factor driving the decrease.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify the argument's premises and conclusion
Premise: Bus vandalism dropped 40% after camera installation. Conclusion: The cameras deterred potential vandals.
Understanding the precise logical gap (correlation vs. causation) is required to strengthen the argument.
2
Evaluate potential strengtheners
A valid strengthener will rule out alternative explanations for the decline in vandalism or confirm that the cameras specifically caused the decline.
Ruling out external factors (such as a broader trend in crime reduction) isolates the cameras as the probable cause.
3
Select the option that eliminates alternative causes
Showing that vandalism in unmonitored areas remained unchanged confirms that the drop was specific to the monitored buses, strengthening the conclusion.
This establishes a controlled comparison demonstrating that external citywide factors were not responsible for the reduction.

Key Concept

Ruling Out Alternative Causes in Causal Arguments
Estimated Time:1m 15s
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Topics

Strengthening Arguments

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