Politician: Our public libraries are

Answer choices

1. A

   Out of Scope7% picked this

   Libraries and other public facilities that serve an educational purpose should be made as convenient as possible for taxpayers

   This answer says libraries and educational facilities "should be made as convenient as possible." While this sounds related, it does not connect convenience to tax approval. The argument's conclusion is specifically about whether new taxes should be approved, and this principle says nothing about taxation. Making libraries convenient could be achieved in ways unrelated to taxes or library hours — for example, through online services or mobile libraries. This principle is too detached from the argument's specific conclusion about tax approval to justify it.

   7%
2. B

   Reversal17% picked this

   If use of a public facility is made more convenient for taxpayers and their families, then new taxes supporting

   This answer says: if use of a facility is made more convenient, then new taxes should be approved. That gives us: more convenient -> approve taxes. But the argument needs: approve taxes -> more convenient (or more specifically, approve taxes -> adequate access). This answer provides the reverse conditional. Under this principle, we could conclude taxes should be approved if hours are changed, but we could not conclude that taxes should not be approved unless hours are changed. The direction is backward.

   17%
3. C

   Reversal1% picked this

   Taxpayers who have plenty of opportunities to use a public facility should have to pay taxes

   This answer says taxpayers with plenty of opportunities to use a facility "should have to pay taxes" for it. This gives us: plenty of opportunities -> should pay taxes. Like answer B, this is the reverse of what we need. The argument needs: should pay taxes -> adequate opportunities. This principle tells us when people should pay taxes (when they have access), not when taxes should be denied (when they lack access). Furthermore, the argument is about approving new taxes, not about whether existing taxpayers "should have to pay."

   1%
4. D

   Out of Scope3% picked this

   The best way to increase usage of public libraries is to change the library hours for the

   This answer says the best way to increase usage is to change library hours. But the argument's conclusion is about whether new taxes should be approved, not about the best way to increase library usage. Usage and opportunity are different concepts — the argument is about giving taxpayers opportunities to use libraries, not about maximizing actual usage. Even if changing hours is the best way to increase usage, this principle does not connect that fact to the question of tax approval. The argument needs a principle about taxation, not a principle about usage optimization.

   3%
5. E

   Correct71% picked this

   A new tax supporting a public facility should be approved only when most taxpayers have ample opportunities

   Why this is right

   This principle states that new taxes supporting a public facility should be approved only when most taxpayers have ample opportunities to use that facility. Applied to the argument: new library taxes should be approved only when most taxpayers can actually use libraries. Since libraries are currently open only when most taxpayers cannot attend, most taxpayers lack ample opportunities. Therefore, new library taxes should not be approved unless hours change to provide those opportunities. The principle bridges the gap between "taxpayers lack access" and "taxes should be conditional on improved access." The use of "public facility" rather than "library" is acceptably broader — the argument's specific case fits within this general principle.

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

   71%