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Difficulty: MediumTwo-Speaker Dialogues (Point at Issue)

Read the following dialogue.

Councilmember: The city must deny the zoning permit for the proposed data center. Operating such a massive facility will drain our municipal water supply for its cooling systems. We simply cannot prioritize corporate expansion over ensuring our residents have reliable access to water.

Developer: Your concern is based on outdated information. The facility will utilize a closed-loop cooling architecture that recycles 99 percent of its water, drawing no more from the municipal supply than a standard office building. Therefore, the new data center will not jeopardize the residents' water access.

Is the following statement true or false based on the dialogue?
The point at issue between the Councilmember and the Developer is whether corporate expansion should be prioritized over ensuring residents have reliable access to water.

Answer: Answer

Answer

False
The correct answer is False because the Developer does not dispute the Councilmember's principle about prioritization. Instead of arguing that corporate expansion should take precedence, the Developer argues that the data center will not threaten the water supply in the first place. Since the Developer is completely silent on the normative principle, there is no mutual disagreement on that specific issue.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the Councilmember's stance on the given statement.
The Councilmember explicitly states that the city cannot prioritize corporate expansion over residents' water access.
To establish the first half of a potential disagreement, we must confirm Speaker 1 holds a clear position on the proposition.
2
Analyze the Developer's stance on the given statement.
The Developer argues only that the facility will not jeopardize water access, remaining completely silent on what should be prioritized if a conflict existed.
A valid point at issue requires the second speaker to hold an opposing view to the first speaker.
3
Compare the stances to determine if there is a mutual disagreement.
Since the Developer does not take a position on the prioritization principle, they do not disagree on it.
Without mutual, opposing stances on a specific proposition, that proposition cannot be the point at issue.

Key Concept

Identifying the Point at Issue (The Silence Trap)
Estimated Time:1m 0s
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Topics

Two-Speaker Dialogues (Point at Issue)

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