Read the following argument carefully:
Critics of modern urban agriculture claim that vertical farms consume too much electricity to be environmentally sustainable. However, these critics fail to account for the massive reduction in fossil fuels used for transporting food. After all, because vertical farms are located directly within the cities they serve, the need for long-haul refrigerated trucking is almost entirely eliminated. Therefore, when the entire supply chain is evaluated, vertical farming is actually a highly ecologically responsible method of food production.
Match each excerpt from the argument to its specific structural role.
- vertical farms consume too much electricity to be environmentally sustainableA viewpoint that the argument is designed to refute
- the need for long-haul refrigerated trucking is almost entirely eliminatedA premise offered in direct support of an intermediate conclusion
- these critics fail to account for the massive reduction in fossil fuels used for transporting foodAn intermediate conclusion that provides support for the argument's final position
- vertical farming is actually a highly ecologically responsible method of food productionThe main conclusion of the argument
Answer
The excerpts match their structural roles as follows: the critics' claim about electricity consumption is the viewpoint the argument refutes; the elimination of long-haul trucking is a direct premise; the failure to account for fuel reduction is an intermediate conclusion; and the statement about vertical farming being ecologically responsible is the main conclusion.
The argument builds a structural case against the critics by utilizing an intermediate conclusion (massive reduction in transportation fuels), which is backed by a basic premise (elimination of refrigerated trucking), to arrive at its ultimate endpoint: vertical farming is ecologically responsible. The critics' initial claim serves as the opposing viewpoint that the entire structure aims to defeat.
Step-by-Step Solution
Key Concept
Identifying Argument Structure and Component Roles