Logical Reasoning

PT105 · S4 · Q14 Citizen: Our legislators need to

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Citizen: Our legislators need to act quickly to counter the effects of the recession, especially the present level of unemployment, which is the highest ever.

Conclusion

We urgently need a major tax cut for our upper-income citizens.

Evidence

The present level of unemployment is the highest ever due to the recession.

A major tax cut for upper-income citizens would lead to a large increase in investment, thereby creating new jobs.

Without this measure, investment will not grow.

Evaluate

The citizen is arguing for a specific solution to counter the effects of the recession, namely by proposing a tax cut. The premise that connects this solution to the desired effect (job creation) is that if upper-income citizens receive tax cuts, they will invest the extra money, thus creating new jobs.

For this argument to hold, the citizen is assuming that tax cuts for upper-income citizens will directly lead to increased investment. Put another way, the citizen assumes that the money saved from taxes will be used in a way that stimulates economic activity.

A potential objection could be that upper-income citizens might choose to save the extra money or spend it on non-investment ventures, which wouldn't create jobs. Therefore, for the citizen's argument to stand, there must be an assumed link between the tax cuts and increased investment.

Goal

We need to identify an assumption that explicitly links tax cuts for upper-income earners to increased investment. An answer choice that confirms the reasoning that tax cuts will result in the behavior needed to support job growth (i.e., investing) is crucial.

14.

The citizen's argument depends on the assumption that

  1. the recession in the citizen's

    Out of Scope

    Out of Scope: Greatest recession / Historical tendency Option (A) is irrelevant to the logic of how a tax cut would lead to job creation. The severity of the recession doesn’t necessarily affect how the tax cut would be used for investment.

    0% picked this

  2. the greater the tax cut

    Too Strong: More likely / More money

    Option (B) suggests a generalized likelihood that bigger tax cuts lead to more investment but doesn’t specify the necessity of investment increasing solely due to the tax cut as argued.

    26% picked this

  3. upper-income citizens have invested more

    Trap

    Option (C) compares investments by income groups but doesn’t address the necessity for the affluent to use their tax breaks in a manner that promotes job creation.

    3% picked this

  4. Correct

    upper-income citizens could use the

    Why this is right

    The correct answer should indicate that the money gained from a tax cut by upper-income citizens will indeed increase investment, which aligns with choice (D). Choice (D) states that upper-income citizens could use the money gained from the tax cut in ways that increase investment. This directly connects the proposed tax cut to the likely behavior that would fulfill the citizen's ultimate goal: job creation through increased investment.

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

    67% picked this

  5. in the past tax cuts

    Trap

    Option (E) looks neither necessary nor sufficient. While historical trends of tax cuts leading to job creation could support the argument's plausibility, the argument is specifically dependent on current outcomes, not historical precedent.

    4% picked this

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