Logical Reasoning

PT151 · S2 · Q2 Physician: A tax on saturated fat

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Physician: A tax on saturated fat, which was intended to reduce consumption of unhealthy foods, has been repealed after having been in effect for only seven months.

Conclusion

The tax on saturated fat (intended to reduce consumption of unhealthy foods) should not have been repealed so soon.

Evidence

It was only around for seven months. Apparently, it was having some unintended consequences (people were just traveling to nearby countries to buy the taxed foods).

Evaluate

This is a bit weird, because there isn't actually a premise, other than "it's only been around for seven months". The other fact presented is counterevidence -- the fact that the plan is backfiring and driving people to buy their unhealthy food from a neighboring country would be a reason to get rid of the tax.

So, we can't do much to predict the correct answer, other than say,

Goal

Look for any answer providing a rule that would apply to this tax and would allow us to conclude something like "It was repealed too soon" / "it was premature to repeal it" / / etc.

Which one of the following principles, if valid, most helps to justify the physician's conclusion regarding the tax?

A tax on unhealthy foods
Unrelated to Goal
This is a principle about whether or not a tax should be implemented in the first place. We need a principle about whether a tax that was already implemented should be repealed so soon.
1% picked this
Correct
It is not possible to
Why this is right
Is this applicable to our tax? Was it a tax intended to affect people's health? Yes, it was intended to reduce consumption of unhealthy foods. So this principle applies to our situation. What is it saying about our situation? It says, "If the tax hasn't been in effect for at least one year, then it's impossible to adequately gauge its impact." We were looking for shouldn't if only been in effect ? repeal for seven months it yet This is basically giving us if only been in effect ? impossible to gauge for seven months its impact So it will strengthen if we feel pretty good about this connection: if impossible to should not gauge the impact ? repeal of a new tax yet it yet Sure, that seems like a fair common sense move to make. This type of correct answer is more like a correct answer on Strengthen, whereas it's very common for correct answers on Strengthen + Principle to feel more like Sufficient Assumption.
Skill tested: Principle-Strengthen · how this choice captures the argument's function is the move to repeat next time.
95% picked this
Before any law intended to
Unrelated to Goal
This is a principle about what to do before a tax is initially implemented. This principle would only allow us to scold the people who wrote the law, for what they may have failed to do while writing the law. We need a principle that allows us to scold the people who repealed the law too soon.
2% picked this
A law intended to improve
Opposite of Goal
This is saying, "If most people are evading the law, we should repeal it". First problem — we don't know if most (more than 50%) of people are evading the law. Bigger problem — our goal here is to support the conclusion that they shouldn't have repealed it so soon. This is a rule that allows one to conclude that you should repeal something.
2% picked this
A tax on unhealthy foods
Unrelated to Goal
This is a principle about whether or not a tax like this should have been implemented in the first place. We need a principle about whether a tax that was already implemented should be repealed so soon.
1% picked this

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