Logical Reasoning

PT103 · S1 · Q14 The Biocarb Company wants to build

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The Biocarb Company wants to build a sterilization plant to treat contaminated medical waste in a city neighborhood where residents and environmental activists fear that such a facility will pollute the area.

Conclusion (argues)

The operation of the sterilization plant cannot cause pollution.

Intermediate Conclusion (because)

The waste would be sterile after processing by the plant.

Evidence

After exposure for an hour to superheated steam, this garbage would be far cleaner than food prepared in the cleanest kitchen.

Evaluate

Given the fact that ... the waste would be super sterile after processing by the plant, How could we still argue that ... the operation of the plant could cause pollution?

Well, what about everything else going on with the plant other than the waste that comes out of it? Does building the plant cause pollution? Does operating the plant have emissions that cause pollution? Do the employees that run the plant cause pollution?

The president is only looking at one tiny aspect of building and operating this plant and thinking, .

Goal

Look for a linking answer that says, ,

or look for a defender answer ruling out some other way (besides waste, after it's been sterilized) that the plant could cause local pollution.

14.

The president's argument depends on which one of the following assumptions?

  1. Environmental activists believe that waste

    Out of Scope: beliefs

    The president doesn't need to assume that activists believe anything. The president is only making an argument about what is factually the case, not about what people believe.

    6% picked this

  2. Correct

    Handling of the waste before

    Why this is right

    Whenever we're doing Necessary Assumption and we see an answer ruling out an idea with the word "not / no", we should be very attracted. If we negate this, does it turn into an objection? Handling of the waste before its treated will pose a threat of pollution to the area. Yes! That's a huge objection. The president's argument was only saying there's no potential for danger after the waste has been treated, but this negation is bringing up the salient objection that the waste could potentially pollute the area because of a spill / leak / etc. that would occur before the waste has been treated.

    Skill tested: Necessary Assumption · how this choice captures the argument's function is the move to repeat next time.

    77% picked this

  3. Fear of pollution is the

    Too Strong: only

    This idea is way too strong / not something we could possibly derive from this paragraph. And if we negated it and said, "Hey, author -- there are other argument besides pollution that we could make against building this facility", she would say, "Cool. My conclusion was only about pollution, so the only relevant objections would need to be about pollution."

    4% picked this

  4. No others besides environmental activists

    Too Strong: no others

    This idea is also too strong and has nothing to do with the argument: If waste will be sterile after processing, then operation of plant can't cause pollution. The argument has nothing to do with who is concerned that there might be pollution. This answer, like so many trap answers, tries to trick students into thinking, "the only thing mentioned is therefore the only thing". They only mentioned environmental activists being concerned, but that doesn't mean they're telling us that only environmentalists are concerned.

    0% picked this

  5. Treatment by superheated steam represents

    Too Strong: surest method

    Again, with the extreme language! Does it hurt the author's argument if superheated steam is only the 2nd best method of sterilization? Nope. It's still the case that by using this method we can render waste cleaner than food prepared in the cleanest kitchen. That still sounds plenty clean, even if there is some surer method of sterilizing.

    13% picked this

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