Examkin

Question

Difficulty: EasyStatement and Arguments

Examine the public administration statement and the two arguments provided below:

Statement: Should municipal corporations mandate that all commercial food establishments segregate organic kitchen waste from non-biodegradable waste prior to daily collection?

Arguments:
I. Yes, because source segregation of organic waste substantially enhances composting efficiency and decreases landfill pollution.
II. No, because food establishment owners who fail to segregate waste on any single day should face immediate permanent cancellation of their trade licenses.

Which of the following choices correctly assesses the strength of the arguments?

  1. Only argument I is strongAnswer
  2. B
    Only argument II is strong
  3. C
    Both argument I and argument II are strong
  4. D
    Neither argument I nor argument II is strong

Answer

Only argument I is strong.
The argument advocating waste segregation is strong because it provides a realistic, practical benefit (enhanced composting and reduced landfill pollution) directly aligned with the proposed policy. Conversely, the argument against it relies on an extreme administrative penalty—immediately cancelling trade licenses for a single daily failure—making it logically weak and disproportionate.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze Argument I for logical relevance and realistic impact.
Argument I establishes a direct, positive causal link between organic waste segregation, improved composting, and reduced landfill waste.
A strong argument must be directly relevant to the statement and backed by realistic, non-trivial reasoning.
2
Analyze Argument II for administrative proportionality and logical validity.
Argument II advocates an extreme punitive measure (permanent cancellation of license for a single minor infraction) rather than addressing the core objective of the statement.
Arguments advocating disproportionate, harsh administrative actions without constructive reasoning are classified as weak arguments.
3
Combine the evaluations to select the correct conclusion.
Only Argument I meets the criteria for a strong argument, while Argument II is weak.
Evaluating both arguments demonstrates that Argument I is valid and Argument II is flawed.

Key Concept

Distinguishing strong arguments based on logical soundness and policy feasibility from weak arguments based on extreme administrative actions.
Rate this question

Topics

Statement and Arguments

More questions from this topic