A recent national study of

Answer choices

1. A

   Premise6% picked this

   plastics constitute a smaller proportion of the nation’s total trash than

   This doesn't match the final sentence, which is about "harm". This is just about the "proportion". This is the 1st sentence, which was a factual, unsupported premise.

   6%
2. B

   Out of Scope: ratio2% picked this

   the ratio of weight to volume is the same for plastic trash as it is

   This doesn't match the final sentence, which is about "harm". This is talking about the ratio of weight to volume, which is totally out of scope.

   2%
3. C

   Unstated Inference3% picked this

   popular opinion regards the use of paper products as less harmful to the environment than the use of

   This resembles the language of the final sentence, but the final claim is that "the current use of plastics does less harm than paper". This says, "People generally think that paper is less harmful than plastic." We can infer this answer choice, based on the "contrary to popular opinion" that comes right before the conclusion, but this is not the conclusion. This is the misconception that paper is less harmful. The conclusion is the reality, that plastic is less harmful.

   3%
4. D

   Unstated Out of Scope: shift away9% picked this

   contrary to popular opinion, a shift away from the use of paper products to the use of plastics

   This doesn't match the final sentence, which is about "harm". This is about whether shifting away from paper would benefit the nation. That wasn't ever said, so it's not going match our explicit conclusion.

   9%
5. E

   Correct80% picked this

   at this time more harm is being done to the environment nationwide by the use of paper than

   Why this is right

   This matches the meaning of the final claim, which is the conclusion indicated by the word "therefore" currently, plastics do less harm to the environment nationwide than paper "at this time, more harm to the environment nationwide is done by paper than by plastic" As we guessed, they are trying to disguise this correct answer by re-wording the conclusion with an inversion. We know that 6 > 5 means the same thing as 5 < 6. So concluding "Plastic does less harm than paper" is equivalent to concluding that "paper does more harm".

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

   80%