Logical Reasoning

PT152 · S4 · Q25 Editorial: Any democratic society

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Editorial: Any democratic society is endangered by segmentation into classes of widely differing incomes between which there is little mobility.

Conclusion

Democratic societies should adopt policies that ensure constant economic expansion.

Evidence

Economic expansion gives people more opportunities to improve their economic standing.

When democratic societies segment into different income classes with little economic mobility (i.e. bad income inequality), that society is endangered, since class divisions strengthen divisive political factions that impede good governance.

Evaluate

In a general sense, this argument is saying When Y occurs, democracies face problem X. Thus, democracies should do thing Z.

What is an argument like that assuming? It assumes that thing Z would be good at preventing Y.

Our conclusion is recommending "policies that ensure constant economic expansion", but the evidence never talked about constant economic expansion. What is the author assuming you get from constant economic expansion?

We would assume she's saying "constant economic expansion" helps us to avoid the problem of .

Goal

Look for an answer providing some evidence that economic expansion is linked to

25.

Which one of the following, if true, would most strengthen the reasoning in the editorial?

  1. Discord within a society tends

    Unrelated to Goal

    This has nothing to do with "economic expansion". It's lost in the description of the problem, telling us that one aspect (divisive discord) creates a positive feedback loop with the cause of the problem (income inequality)

    7% picked this

  2. Political factions are sometimes willing

    Too Weak No Impact

    The word "sometimes" is so weak (at least once) that it will almost always be wrong on Strengthen / Weaken / Paradox. This idea also isn't really relevant, because it's dealing with whether or not the recommendation is likely to occur, not whether or not it should occur.

    11% picked this

  3. Correct

    Economic expansion results in a

    Why this is right

    This connects our New Term in the conclusion "economic expansion" to the pressure points of the problem we're trying to avoid (income inequality with little economic mobility). Economic expansion will cause upward mobility for the poorer segments, at the same time reducing income inequality (by narrowing the margin between poor and rich).

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

    65% picked this

  4. Economic expansion cannot occur unless

    Irrelevant

    Irrelevant: can't occur vs. should occur Weakens, if Anything This isn't really relevant because whether it can / can't occur is a separate discussion from whether it should / shouldn't occur. But additionally this answer seems to give us some pessimism about achieving economic expansion, so it sounds like it would move away from, not towards, the author's conclusion.

    3% picked this

  5. The presence of divisive political

    Irrelevant

    Irrelevant: can't occur vs. should occur Weakens, if Anything This isn't really relevant because whether economic expansion can / can't occur is a separate discussion from whether it should / shouldn't occur. But additionally this answer seems to give us some pessimism about achieving economic expansion, so it sounds like it would move away from, not towards, the author's conclusion.

    14% picked this

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