Logical Reasoning

PT150 · S2 · Q3 Durham: The mayor will agree

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Durham: The mayor will agree to a tax increase because that is the only way the city council will agree to her road repair proposal, and that proposal is her top priority.

Durham's Claims

1. The mayor will agree to a tax increase 2. the city council won't agree to her road repair proposal unless she agrees to a tax increase 3. the road repair proposal is her top priority

Espinoza's Reactions

1. Disagrees? She seems to suggest that the mayor will not agree to a tax increase, since she says that .

2. Agrees? She seems to accept the same implicit choice that Durham is offering: you accept the tax increase and get the road repair proposal passed, or you don't accept the tax increase and you don't get the road repair passed.

3. Disagrees. She does not think the road proposal is the top priority, because she says .

Goal

Since we have a claim they seem to agree to, we can probably head to the answers and see if we find it. It seems like Espinoza agrees with Durham's 2nd claim:

if the mayor doesn't agree to a tax increase, then the city council won't let her get her road repair proposal passed.

3.

The dialogue provides the most support for the claim that Durham and Espinoza agree about which one of the following?

  1. The mayor will agree to

    Disagree

    Durham agrees with this, but Espinoza implicitly disagrees with this, thinking that the mayor will be unwilling to accept the "raise taxes" bargain the city council is offering.

    4% picked this

  2. Correct

    The only way that the

    Why this is right

    Durham explicitly says this, so we know he agrees. Espinoza implicitly accepts this, because she is arguing that "Since the mayor will not agree to higher taxes, she will not get her road repair proposal passed".

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

    82% picked this

  3. The mayor’s road repair proposal

    Disagree

    Durham agrees with this, but Espinoza disagrees with this, saying that the mayor finds it "more important" (i.e. a higher priority) to avoid increasing taxes.

    8% picked this

  4. The mayor will not get

    Disagree

    Espinoza explicitly says this, so she agrees with it. But Durham would implicitly disagree with this. He thinks that the mayor will agree to the city council's demand for increased taxes in order to get her proposal passed.

    2% picked this

  5. It is more important to

    Disagree

    Espinoza agrees with this because she explicitly says so, while Espinoza disagrees with this, saying that the mayor's #1 priority is the road repair proposal.

    4% picked this

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