Logical Reasoning

PT144 · S4 · Q14 Certain methods of creating high-quality

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Certain methods of creating high-quality counterfeit banknotes involve making accurate measurements of the images printed on genuine banknotes.

Conclusion (Hence)

If high-quality counterfeiting is to be prevented, some images on banknotes must be made very difficult or impossible to measure accurately.

Evidence

Certain methods of producing high-quality counterfeits involve accurately measuring the images on genuine notes.

Evaluate

This has an atypical feel for a Sufficient Assumption question, because usually for SA we are looking for missing links, but usually when we seen an author trying to solve a problem and announcing some Required Solution, our job instead is to think about Alternative Solutions.

If we analyze this in Missing Link style, we'd be trying to get from Prevent high quality -----------------------------> make images hard counterfeit banknotes to accurately measure

Since the evidence tells us that one method of making high quality counterfeit banknotes is to make accurate measurements of the images on real banknotes, we could say that

Prevent high quality ----> don't let them make counterfeit banknotes acc. measure of images

That would leave a somewhat silly, almost repetitive, missing link that like,

If we're feeling iffy about that prediction, we could swing over into Objection mindset and try to think about how to argue the anti-conclusion: we can prevent high quality counterfeit banknotes without making some of the images nearly impossible to measure accurately.

To argue this, we'd probably spitball some Alternative Solutions: - maybe we print them on special shiny paper no one else has access to - maybe we give them a signature smell that no one else has access to - maybe we give them each a QR code that can be verified with the treasury - etc.

Goal

Look for an answer spelling out the missing link that .

Or look for an answer that seemingly rules out all these other possible ways of preventing counterfeit banknotes.

14.

The argument's conclusion can be properly drawn if which one of the following is assumed?

Today's copying technology is sophisticated
Out of Scope
This answer almost makes it seem like we wouldn't be able to carry out the conclusion's required solution. Maybe we still could. Maybe our new banknotes would be the exception to "almost any paper product can be replicated". But even still, this answer does nothing to guarantee us that this is a required solution.
3% picked this
Correct
Once the images printed on
Why this is right
This answer rules out all other possible modes of preventing counterfeit. Forget about your special shiny paper / special smelly paper / special QR code / etc .... once these counterfeiters have measured the images accurately, there is no further impediment we can throw in their way. If accurate measurement leaves no further impediment to exact replication, then measurable images guarantee that high-quality counterfeits can be produced. The contrapositive gives the author's conclusion: to prevent such counterfeits, the images must be made impossible to measure accurately. This is a really weird correct answer, because I'm not sure it actually needs the premise at all to work. It kind of just is a rephrasing of the conclusion. We've never seen that before or since, so take it for what it is ... a weird example of a Sufficient Assumption question. If we say, "Once Thanos blows up the White House, there is no further impediment to him ruling the Earth", then you could derive the claim, "If Thanos's rule of Earth is to be prevented, we'll have to make it very difficult or impossible for him to blow up the White House".
Skill tested: Sufficient Assumption · how this choice captures the argument's function is the move to repeat next time.
80% picked this
Governments have better printing technology
Unrelated to Goal
This mildly strengthens the plausibility of the Plan succeeding (by implying that the government would be able to print things that crooks couldn't), but doesn't come anywhere near proving that we must do this Plan, that there are no alternative plans that could work. If anything, it might create other possible ways for the government to prevent counterfeits (they don't have to make the images impossible to measure; they could just add some insane 3D image to their banknotes that a counterfeiter's printing technology couldn't possible duplicate.)
8% picked this
Few countries produce banknotes with
No Impact
How many countries currently use hard-to-measure images is a fact about present practice, not about what prevention requires. Whether few or many countries do it, the argument still needs to convince us that the only way to prevent counterfeit is by making the images super hard to measure accurately.
3% picked this
New designs in banknotes generally
Unrelated to Goal
Whatever trend usually happens with new designs is irrelevant here. If we're just guessing on Sufficient Assumption, we never guess a squishy idea, like "generally". We need a powerhouse answer that guarantees that there is literally no solution in the world to counterfeiting other than making the images very hard to measure accurately.
6% picked this

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