Examkin

Soru

Zorluk: OrtaStrengthening Arguments

In the city of Valera, municipal authorities recently implemented a dedicated bus rapid transit (BRT) lane along the main commercial corridor, reducing automotive traffic lanes by fifty percent. Despite initial concerns from local merchants that the loss of driving lanes and street parking would reduce customer traffic, total retail sales along the corridor increased by twelve percent during the six months following implementation. City officials concluded that the BRT system was the primary driver of this increase in retail sales. Which of the following, if true, provides the strongest support for the city officials' conclusion?

  1. During the same six-month period, retail sales in comparable commercial corridors in Valera that lacked BRT lanes remained virtually unchanged.Cevap
  2. B
    The city enacted a temporary municipal tax rebate for all retail businesses operating along the main commercial corridor at the time the BRT lane was introduced.
  3. C
    Prior to the implementation of the BRT system, a majority of local merchants expressed a preference for building a multi-story parking garage instead of dedicated bus lanes.
  4. D
    The hybrid-electric buses selected for the new BRT line produce significantly lower carbon emissions than standard diesel-powered buses.
  5. E
    Transit authorities expanded late-night BRT service schedules, although late-night ridership accounted for less than one percent of total daily passenger volume.

Cevap

The statement that retail sales in comparable commercial corridors without BRT lanes remained virtually unchanged during the same period provides the strongest support for the conclusion.
The conclusion asserts a causal relationship between the introduction of the BRT system and the rise in corridor retail sales. To strengthen this causal argument, evidence must show that the effect is specifically associated with the BRT system rather than a broader trend. Showing that comparable commercial corridors in the same city without BRT lanes saw no sales growth serves as a control comparison, ruling out citywide economic factors or inflation and isolating the BRT system as the likely driver.

Adım Adım Çözüm

1
Analyze the argument structure
Premise: BRT lane added; retail sales in corridor increased 12%. Conclusion: The BRT system caused the retail sales increase.
Identifying the premises and conclusion clarifies the author's causal claim.
2
Identify the central assumption and weakness
The argument assumes correlation equals causation and ignores potential external factors such as citywide economic growth, inflation, or seasonal trends.
Strengthening a causal conclusion requires ruling out alternative explanations or confirming a comparative baseline.
3
Evaluate the options against the strengthening objective
The option showing that similar corridors without BRT experienced no sales change acts as a control group, ruling out citywide economic growth as an alternative cause.
Eliminating alternative explanations directly reinforces the claim that the BRT system was responsible for the increase.

Anahtar Kavram

Strengthening Causal Arguments by Ruling Out Alternative Explanations
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Konular

Strengthening Arguments

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