Essayist: One of the claims

Answer choices

1. A

   Too Strong7% picked this

   If laissez-faire economics makes an incorrect prediction about the minimum wage, then all the doctrines of

   The argument's conclusion is just that laissez-faire economics is "not entirely accurate" — meaning at least one of its claims is wrong. The argument doesn't need to assume that all of laissez-faire's doctrines collapse from a single mistake. Negation test: even if laissez-faire has plenty of accurate doctrines, finding one inaccurate prediction still makes it "not entirely accurate." The argument survives. Not necessary.

   7%
2. B

   Correct80% picked this

   Minimum-wage job availability at fast-food restaurants included in the study was representative of minimum-wage job

   Why this is right

   This fills the gap. The essayist is using a fast-food study to disprove a general claim about minimum-wage jobs. That move only works if fast-food job behavior fairly represents minimum-wage job behavior overall. Negation test: suppose the fast-food restaurants in the study were not representative. Then their employment patterns tell us nothing about minimum-wage jobs in general — and the laissez-faire claim about the broader market could still be accurate. The argument falls apart, which confirms this is a necessary assumption.

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

   80%
3. C

   Too Strong2% picked this

   No study has ever found that a business has decreased the number of its minimum-wage employees after an

   This says no study has ever found a minimum-wage employee decrease following a wage hike. The essayist's argument doesn't need that. The essayist only needs one piece of evidence to undermine a universal-sounding laissez-faire claim. Negation test: even if some other study did find a decrease, this study still found no decrease — and that single counterexample is enough to make the prediction "not entirely accurate." Not necessary.

   2%
4. D

   Out of Scope6% picked this

   The fast-food restaurants included in the study did not increase the average wage

   The argument is about minimum-wage employment levels, not about average wages. Whether the fast-food restaurants raised their average pay doesn't affect the comparison the essayist is making (number of minimum-wage employees before and after the minimum-wage hike). Negation test: even if average wages rose, the essayist's observation about employment levels stands. Not necessary.

   6%
5. E

   Out of Scope5% picked this

   The national unemployment rate did not increase following the increase in

   The laissez-faire prediction at issue is specifically about minimum-wage jobs, not the national unemployment rate. Whether overall unemployment rose is a different metric. Negation test: even if national unemployment went up, the studied fast-food restaurants still kept their minimum-wage employees, which is the data point the essayist relies on. Not necessary.

   5%