Logical Reasoning

PT14 · S2 · Q11 Unless they are used as

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Unless they are used as strictly temporary measures, rent-control ordinances (municipal regulations placing limits on rent increases) have several negative effects for renters.

Facts

conditional + causal (unless, effects, will bring)

use rent control >> shortage of rental units over longer term (and other neg effects)

comparison

Bad effects (long term) vs. Good effects (short term)

conditional (all, invariably)

tenants have political power → guided by to enact/repeal rent control short term

Evaluate

There were conditionals and causal ideas and a comparison. Where to begin?

One starting point could be focusing on the Overlapping Concept in the last two claims about short term vs. long term gain.

In the final sentence we hear that tenants's desire for short term gain will guide their decisions about whether to create or get rid of rent control ordinances.

Okay, the previous sentence said that rent control has short term gains but long term problems.

So putting those two sentences together we're inferring that when tenants have political power, they'll choose to use it to attain short term gain, and rent control ordinances provide short term gain. So they'll likely choose to enact or retain rent control ordinances.

We can layer onto that the fact that by doing this, they're bringing on several long term negative effects such as a shortage of rental units.

Goal

We could probably go as far as to say that when tenants have political power of rent control decisions, it will eventually lead to a shortage of rental units.

Let's look for something we can definitely prove.

11.

If the statements above are true, which one of the following can be properly inferred from them?

  1. It is impossible for landlords

    Too Strong

    "Impossible" is much too strong. The stimulus says rent control places limits on rent increases, not that it stops landlords from raising rent at all. Smaller increases could still happen.

    4% picked this

  2. In many municipalities rent-control ordinances

    Unsupported

    This is trying to reward our Big Inference prediction, that tenants will enact / preserve rent control, which will lead to a shortage of rental units. But this answer takes it another speculative step forward in time. Once there's a shortage of rental units, they'll think, "Oh, no! Why is this happening? Ahhh, it's because of the stupid rent control ordinances. We should immediately repeal those!" That's way beyond what we can prove.

    11% picked this

  3. The only negative effect of

    Too Strong

    The stimulus says "several negative effects" of rent control, with shortages being just one. So shortages are not the only negative effect. This answer contradicts the stimulus.

    3% picked this

  4. Correct

    In many municipalities there is

    Why this is right

    This is actually rewarding our big prediction, that when tenants have political power, they will enact or preserve rent control ordinances that lead to a shortage of rental units. We are told that in many municipalities, the powerful tenants make their rent control decisions based on short term gain. Rent control provides short term gain, so they would decide to enact/retain rent control. Rent control leads in the long run to a shortage of rental units. So in these areas, depending on how long they've already had their rent control ordinances, they might already have their shortage of rental units, but otherwise will develop it in the long run.

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

    63% picked this

  5. In the long term, a

    Unsupported

    The stimulus says rent control causes shortages and limits rent increases, but it doesn't say shortages will raise rents substantially in the long term. If anything, we think the rent can't be raised substantially because we think that rent control ordinances are in place.

    19% picked this

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