Soru

Zorluk: ZorIdentifying Premises and Evidence

Consider the following argument:

Over the past decade, several coastal municipalities implemented stringent limits on commercial groundwater extraction to prevent saltwater intrusion into local aquifers. Recently, agricultural yields in these regions dropped by fifteen percent, prompting farmers to demand a repeal of the extraction limits. However, regional climate records show that the area experienced its most severe drought in recorded history during this same period. Because local crop yields are overwhelmingly dependent on seasonal precipitation rather than supplementary irrigation alone, the yield decline cannot be primarily attributed to the extraction limits. Therefore, repealing the groundwater restrictions will fail to restore agricultural productivity.

True or False: The statement that 'several coastal municipalities implemented stringent limits on commercial groundwater extraction' functions as a premise offering supporting evidence for the author's main conclusion.

Cevap: Cevap

Cevap

False. The targeted statement provides introductory background context rather than serving as a supporting premise for the main conclusion.
The statement is False. In GMAT Critical Reasoning, a premise must supply logical evidence supporting the conclusion. The targeted sentence merely provides historical background context regarding the regulation being disputed. The evidence actually supporting the author's conclusion consists of the drought metrics and precipitation dependency data.

Adım Adım Çözüm

1
Identify the main conclusion of the argument.
The main conclusion is 'repealing the groundwater restrictions will fail to restore agricultural productivity.'
This is the central claim the author argues for, signaled by the structural conclusion indicator 'Therefore'.
2
Identify the premises (evidence) supporting this conclusion.
The supporting premises are: (1) regional climate records show a severe drought occurred during the same period, and (2) crop yields depend overwhelmingly on seasonal precipitation rather than supplementary irrigation.
These claims provide the direct factual basis explaining why lifting groundwater limits will not solve the yield problem.
3
Evaluate the functional role of the targeted sentence.
The sentence 'several coastal municipalities implemented stringent limits on commercial groundwater extraction' introduces the subject matter and policy background.
While necessary to understand what policy is under discussion, this statement does not offer logical proof or evidence that repealing the policy will be ineffective.

Anahtar Kavram

Distinguishing Background Context from Supporting Premises
Tahmini Süre:2m 0s
Bu soruyu puanla