Examkin

Question

Difficulty: MediumSufficient Assumption

Ecologist: Any agricultural system that integrates deep-rooted perennial woody vegetation with livestock grazing significantly reduces nitrate leaching into local aquifers. Moreover, any farming method that significantly reduces nitrate leaching into local aquifers qualifies as an environmentally restorative practice. Therefore, every farm that implements rotational silvopastoral management qualifies as an environmentally restorative practice.

The ecologist's conclusion follows logically if which one of the following is assumed?

  1. A
    Any agricultural system that integrates deep-rooted perennial woody vegetation with livestock grazing utilizes rotational silvopastoral management.
  2. Every farm that implements rotational silvopastoral management integrates deep-rooted perennial woody vegetation with livestock grazing.Answer
  3. C
    No agricultural practice qualifies as an environmentally restorative practice unless it significantly reduces nitrate leaching into local aquifers.
  4. D
    Reducing nitrate leaching into local aquifers is the single most effective way for a farm to qualify as an environmentally restorative practice.
  5. E
    Any farm that qualifies as an environmentally restorative practice significantly reduces nitrate leaching into local aquifers.

Answer

Every farm that implements rotational silvopastoral management integrates deep-rooted perennial woody vegetation with livestock grazing.
The argument establishes that integrating deep-rooted perennial woody vegetation with livestock grazing guarantees a reduction in nitrate leaching, which in turn guarantees qualification as an environmentally restorative practice. The conclusion introduces a new subject—farms implementing rotational silvopastoral management—and concludes they qualify as environmentally restorative. The statement that every farm implementing rotational silvopastoral management integrates deep-rooted perennial woody vegetation with livestock grazing provides the precise bridge needed to trigger the conditional chain and make the conclusion follow with 100% deductive certainty.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Diagram the conditional premises provided in the stimulus.
Premise 1: Integrated woody vegetation + grazing -> Reduces nitrate leaching. Premise 2: Reduces nitrate leaching -> Environmentally restorative practice. Combined premise chain: Integrated woody vegetation + grazing -> Environmentally restorative practice.
Establishing the existing deductive chain clarifies what conditions are already proven to guarantee the outcome.
2
Analyze the conclusion to identify the missing concept and inferential gap.
Conclusion: Rotational silvopastoral management -> Environmentally restorative practice. The new subject introduced in the conclusion is 'rotational silvopastoral management'.
A sufficient assumption must provide a 100% deductive bridge connecting the new term in the conclusion to the existing premise chain.
3
Determine the required sufficient assumption to complete the deduction.
The statement 'Rotational silvopastoral management -> Integrated woody vegetation + grazing' completes the chain: Rotational silvopastoral management -> Integrated woody vegetation + grazing -> Reduces nitrate leaching -> Environmentally restorative practice.
Plugging this link into the premises fully guarantees the truth of the conclusion.

Key Concept

Sufficient Assumption in Conditional Syllogisms
Estimated Time:1m 15s
Rate this question

Topics

Sufficient Assumption

More questions from this topic