Logical Reasoning

PT112 · S4 · Q11 High school students who feel that

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High school students who feel that they are not succeeding in school often drop out before graduating and go to work.

Conclusion (this is evidence that)

The program to improve the morale of high school students has begun to take effect to reduce dropouts.

Evidence

High school students who feel they are not succeeding in school often drop out.

Last year, the city's high school dropout rate was significantly lower than the previous year's rate.

Evaluate

This argument falls into the Explain Curious Fact pattern because it identifies a change in situation (a Curious Fact) and provides a causal explanation.

Curious Fact: Why is the high school dropout rate is lower this year compared to last year?

Author's Explanation: The program to improve student morale has caused the reduction in dropout rates.

The argument assumes that the program is the main or only reason the dropout rate has decreased. To weaken this argument, we can look for alternative explanations for the reduced dropout rate, or we could challenge the plausibility that the morale program was indeed responsible for the change.

Goal

Let's find an answer that suggests an alternative reason for the reduced dropout rate, one that is unconnected to the morale improvement program.

11.

Which one of the following, if true about the last year, most seriously weakens the argument?

  1. Correct

    There was a recession that

    Why this is right

    If there was a recession causing high unemployment in the city, students might have realized that job prospects were limited, leading them to stay in school rather than drop out and seek work. This provides an alternative explanation for the reduced dropout rate and suggests it might not be due to the morale program.

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

    69% picked this

  2. The morale of students who

    No Impact

    This statement refers to students who have already dropped out, but does not offer insight into why fewer students dropped out last year. We don't care what the backstory is for why they had low morale. We're only trying to figure out if the new program had any causal influence in improving morale.

    10% picked this

  3. As in the preceding year,

    No Impact

    This statement describes a situation that could have been true regardless of the effectiveness of the program. It doesn't provide a reason for the rate change.

    5% picked this

  4. High schools in the city

    Weaker Impact

    This may strike some of us as an Alternate Explanation for why fewer students are dropping out. Maybe it's not because a program improved their morale but because they think if they stay in school and graduate, then a placement office will help them find a job. It's not a great alternate explanation, though, since we don't know if high school students would be aware of these offices that deal with graduates. And since dropouts have historically dropped out in order to get a job, it doesn't seem like a potential high school dropout is that worried about getting help with finding a job. This really only works as an incentive to stay in school if we know that the students considering dropping out are aware of the program and are worried about their ability to find a job without such assistance.

    12% picked this

  5. The antidropout program was primarily

    Opposite (if anything)

    This seems to make the author's explanation seem more plausible, since the program was primarily aimed at morale, for schools with high dropout rates.

    4% picked this

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