Argument Evaluation

Sociologist: Analysts argue that corporate "right to disconnect" policies cause employee anxiety by compressing workloads into fewer hours. They cite a survey showing employees at companies with these policies report significantly higher anxiety than those at companies without them. These analysts are mistaken. The survey data reveals these policies were adopted almost exclusively by companies in the notoriously high-stress financial sector. Therefore, the elevated anxiety levels reported by employees subject to these policies are attributable to the demanding nature of their industry, not to the policies themselves.

Which of the following is an assumption on which the sociologist's argument depends?

City Planner: To reduce traffic congestion in our downtown area, we must implement a new zoning policy that restricts the construction of new commercial office buildings exclusively to the city's periphery. Since the majority of downtown traffic is generated by commuters traveling to and from office buildings, limiting new offices downtown will naturally halt the increase in traffic. Furthermore, this policy will eventually lead to a significant reduction in overall downtown traffic as older downtown office buildings are repurposed for other uses.

Which of the following are necessary assumptions on which the city planner's argument depends? (Select all that apply)

Bilinguals consistently exhibit enhanced executive function compared to monolinguals. Many cognitive scientists attribute this to the continuous mental suppression of a secondary language. However, a recent study demonstrates that monolingual individuals who frequently engage in complex strategic board games exhibit a comparable degree of executive function enhancement to lifelong bilinguals. This clearly demonstrates that the constant suppression of a secondary language is not the primary mechanism responsible for the executive function advantage observed in bilingual individuals.

Which of the following is an assumption on which the argument depends?

City Planner: In order to significantly reduce the severe traffic congestion in our downtown commercial district, the municipal government should construct a new high-capacity bypass highway on the western outskirts of the city. Recent engineering studies demonstrate that this proposed bypass highway is designed to handle up to 20,000 vehicles per day. This capacity perfectly matches the estimated volume of excess commuter traffic that is currently clogging the main downtown routes during peak hours.

Statement: To properly evaluate the city planner's argument, it is necessary to determine whether the commuters currently traveling through the downtown district would actually choose to alter their routes to use the new western bypass highway.

City official: The newly constructed eastern bypass road will significantly reduce the severe traffic congestion currently experienced on Main Street. This is because the bypass will finally provide a more direct, faster route for heavy commercial trucks traveling between the industrial park and the interstate highway, meaning these vehicles will no longer need to drive through the city center.

The city official's argument relies on the assumption that commercial trucks currently contribute to the traffic congestion on Main Street.

Botanist: Ghost orchid seeds require a specific soil fungus to germinate. In Silverwood Forest, this fungus is found exclusively in the decomposing bark of fallen elder-pine trees. Therefore, the new forest management policy, which mandates the removal of all fallen elder-pine trees from Silverwood to reduce wildfire risk, will inevitably cause the forest's ghost orchid population to decline.

Which one of the following is an assumption on which the botanist's argument depends?

The new administrative software update reduces the time it takes for employees to process customer requests by 20 percent. Therefore, the company should mandate that all employees install the new software update immediately.

Which one of the following principles, if valid, most helps to justify the reasoning above?

The university has announced that any student who completes the advanced research seminar will be awarded a special graduation commendation. Therefore, we can be certain that every student majoring in history will be awarded this special graduation commendation.

Which one of the following, if assumed, enables the argument's conclusion to be properly drawn?

Industry Analyst: The widespread adoption of remote work over the last three years has caused a significant drop in the sales and profitability of formal business attire. Consequently, the recent decline in the overall profit margins of the retail clothing sector is a direct result of this transition to remote work.

For the analyst's conclusion to be properly drawn, it is necessary to assume that the transition to remote work did not generate a surge in casual clothing profits that completely offset the losses from formal business attire.

Match each argumentative scenario with the universal principle that most helps to logically justify its conclusion.

Match each argument below with the sufficient assumption that logically guarantees its conclusion. Note that one assumption provided is an incorrect trap.

Labor Economist: Analysts predict that integrating generative AI will cause severe workforce contraction because it executes routine tasks faster than humans. This ignores historical precedent. In the 1980s, spreadsheet software automated manual calculations but ultimately expanded accounting employment by reducing the cost of financial analysis, thereby catalyzing massive demand for such services. Therefore, generative AI will similarly yield a net employment expansion within adopting industries.

Which one of the following is an assumption required by the labor economist's argument?

Urban Planner: In the city of Oakhaven, the local government recently implemented a "smart traffic light" system at all major intersections in an effort to reduce commute times. Since the system was activated six months ago, the average commute time for residents driving to the city center during peak hours has decreased by 15%. Therefore, it is clear that the new smart traffic light system is responsible for this reduction in commute times.

Which of the following statements, if true, most strengthen the argument? Select all that apply.

Match each flawed argument to the correct description of its logical reasoning error.

Art Conservator: A recently unearthed landscape painting bears the signature of Clara Vane and perfectly matches her distinctive brushwork. However, chemical analysis reveals traces of cerulean blue in the sky section—a synthetic pigment not commercially available until 1860, eight years after Vane's death. Consequently, the painting cannot be an authentic work by Vane and must be a clever forgery.

Is the following statement about the argument true or false?

The conservator's argument requires the assumption that the cerulean blue pigment was not applied to an authentic Vane canvas during a subsequent restoration or modification effort.

Argument: Last year, the Sunnyvale City Council launched a public awareness campaign promoting the health benefits of eating locally grown produce. Over the past twelve months, the sales of locally grown produce at Sunnyvale farmers' markets have doubled. The city council concludes that their public awareness campaign successfully persuaded residents to buy more local produce.

Statement: The new fact that a massive nationwide shortage of non-local produce drastically increased the prices of imported vegetables over the last twelve months actively weakens the city council's conclusion.

Marine Biologist: To restore the declining coral reefs off the coast of Marland Island, the local government banned commercial fishing within a 10-mile radius three years ago. Recent surveys show that the coral density in this protected zone has increased by 30%. Therefore, the ban on commercial fishing directly caused this recovery of the coral reefs.

Which of the following are necessary assumptions upon which the marine biologist's argument depends? Select all that apply.

Mayor: Over the past five years, the number of community gardens in our city has doubled. During this exact same time period, the city's crime rate has dropped by 15 percent. Therefore, it is clear that building more community gardens reduces crime.

The reasoning in the mayor's argument is most vulnerable to criticism on the grounds that the argument...

Mayor: To attract more young families to our city, we must invest heavily in expanding our network of public parks. A comprehensive statewide survey reveals that the vast majority of young families cite access to ample green spaces as a primary factor when choosing a municipality in which to settle.

Which one of the following is an assumption on which the mayor's argument depends?

Wildlife Biologist: Recent tests reveal that urban coyotes exhibit baseline cortisol levels—a primary indicator of physiological stress—that are significantly higher than those of rural coyotes. Yet over the past decade, the number of pups born annually in the urban coyote population has increased dramatically. Clearly, elevated cortisol levels do not impede reproductive success in coyotes.

The wildlife biologist's argument relies on which of the following assumptions? (Select all that apply.)