Urban Planner: To reduce our municipality's soaring electricity expenses, we should replace all conventional streetlamps in the downtown district with genetically engineered bioluminescent flora. These plants emit a steady glow without drawing any power from the grid. Therefore, implementing this replacement will drastically lower the downtown district's overall operational budget while preserving the area's nighttime usability.
Evaluate the argument by applying the Variance Test. Match each hypothetical factual discovery about the bioluminescent flora (left) to its corresponding logical impact on the planner's conclusion (right).
- Yes, the flora require an expensive, specialized nutrient gel applied weekly to survive urban pollution.Weakens the conclusion by demonstrating that a hidden maintenance expense will offset the anticipated electricity savings.
- No, the flora are entirely self-sustaining and require less physical upkeep than conventional streetlamps.Strengthens the conclusion by eliminating the possibility that unforeseen upkeep expenses would hinder the goal of lowering the budget.
- Yes, the light emitted by the flora meets or exceeds all current municipal standards for pedestrian and traffic visibility.Strengthens the conclusion by confirming that the proposed alternative effectively satisfies the requirement of preserving nighttime usability.
- No, the flora emit a faint glow that cannot penetrate common urban fog or rain, making navigation hazardous.Weakens the conclusion by revealing a functional deficiency that compromises the area's usability.
Answer
The correct pairings accurately map each polar outcome to its precise logical effect on the two core claims of the argument: the reduction of the operational budget and the preservation of nighttime usability.
Applying the Variance Test requires determining how opposite answers to a question impact the argument. If a 'Yes' weakens and a 'No' strengthens (or vice versa), the issue is highly relevant. The correct matches successfully align each factual discovery with its logical impact on either the budget premise or the visibility premise.
Step-by-Step Solution
Key Concept
The Variance Test consists of supplying polar opposite responses (e.g., Yes/No) to an evaluation question and analyzing whether one response strengthens the argument while the other weakens it.