Logical Reasoning

PT125 · S4 · Q10 Albert: The government has proposed

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Albert: The government has proposed new automobile emissions regulations designed to decrease the amount of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) released into the atmosphere by automobile exhaust.

Evidence

Scientists blame PAHs for 10,000 premature deaths in this country each year from lung and heart disease.

Conclusion

So the proposed new automobile emissions regulations designed to decrease the amount of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) released into the atmosphere by automobile exhaust would save thousands of lives.

Evaluate

The issue with Erin’s conclusion is that the regulation decreases PAHs released into the atmosphere by automobile exhaust, but the prediction is related to all PAHs in the environment. If there is more than one source of PAHs, the regulation would only remove one source of the problem.

10.

Which one of the following, if true, is the logically strongest counter that Albert can make to Erin's argument?

  1. Most automobile manufacturers are strongly

    Out of Scope - Opinion

    How automobile manufacturers feel about the emissions regulations is not relevant to Erin’s argument.

    1% picked this

  2. It is not known whether

    Out of Scope - Other Group

    Diseases other than heart and lung disease and cancer are not relevant to the argument.

    6% picked this

  3. Even if no new automobile

    Out of Scope - Conditional

    The trigger of this relationship (automobile usage declines) does not apply.

    7% picked this

  4. Correct

    Most of the PAHs released

    Why this is right

    This provides an alternative source of PAHs and would make the regulation less effective than Erin asserts.

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

    70% picked this

  5. PAHs are one of several

    Out of Scope - Other Group

    Other causes of cancer emitted by automobile exhaust are not relevant to the argument, since scientists blame PAHs for 10,000 premature deaths in this country each year from lung and heart disease (not cancer) and those lives would still be saved.

    16% picked this

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