A survey of a city's concertgoers

Answer choices

1. A

   Unclear Impact15% picked this

   Before any of the survey questions were asked, the respondents were informed that the survey was sponsored by a group that advocates

   In order for this information to help explain why the survey respondents were mostly opposing the plan of tearing down the current hall and replacing it, we would have to assume that "being told that the survey you're about to take is sponsored by people who want X makes you likely to oppose X in the survey". As awful as humankind often is, there's no common sense connection in real life that's like, "Oh, this survey is sponsored by people who want to save the seals? Well then I'm going to answer the questions saying I don't want to save the seals." LSAC almost never relies on this level of antisocial cynicism, that the average person would be so antagonistic to a survey's sponsor that it would warp their answers into opposing that sponsor.

   15%
2. B

   No Impact28% picked this

   Most of the people who live in the vicinity of the existing concert hall do not want it

   We already know that these concertgoers oppose tearing down the existing concert hall (and we're trying to figure out why). Telling us that other people also oppose tearing it down just reinforces that the surprising fact exists (people don't want to tear this thing down), but this answer isn't doing anything to explain why people don't want it torn down.

   28%
3. C

   Wrong Group9% picked this

   The city's construction industry will receive more economic benefit from the construction of a new concert hall than from renovations

   This answer would explain why the construction company would want to construct a new hall, but we're trying to explain why most concertgoers don't want the old hall torn down and a new one built it its place.

   9%
4. D

   Correct45% picked this

   A well-publicized plan is being considered by the city government that would convert the existing concert hall into a public auditorium and

   Why this is right

   This helps us explain why most respondents said they don't want to tear down the existing hall and build a new one there. Even though they would rather do that than do nothing, they apparently have an even better option in mind. As a citizen, what sounds better: 1. replace old hall with new hall 2. get new hall nearby and convert old hall into a public auditorium #2 sounds like a more desirable option because you get two public facilities. You not only get the new concert hall you want (and it's nearby, so equally convenient), you also get a public auditorium. Two things were crucial for this answer to work: - well-publicized plan (so we have reason to think that the survey respondents were aware of this better option, when they said they didn't want the tear down / rebuild) - public auditorium (so that we have reason to think that the survey respondents would benefit from this extra facility they'd get out of plan 2)

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

   45%
5. E

   Deepens Paradox3% picked this

   Many popular singers and musicians who currently do not hold concerts in the city would begin to hold concerts there if a

   This piles on to reasons why we should want this new concert hall, which would just deepen the confusion regarding why these respondents are mostly rejecting the idea.

   3%