Environmentalist: An increased number of oil spills

Answer choices

1. A

   Weakens, if anything1% picked this

   Recently a double-hulled tanker loaded with oil was punctured when it ran aground, but no

   This tells us about a double-hulled tanker that ran aground but didn't spill oil. That sounds like a victory for the environmentalist, who wants to mandate double-hulls.

   1%
2. B

   No Impact2% picked this

   Proposed government regulation would mandate the creation of regional response teams within the Coast Guard to respond to oil

   This answer is telling us about what would happen if we followed the environmentalist's recommendation, and it all sounds pretty neutral, if not positive.

   2%
3. C

   No Impact3% picked this

   Proposed legislation requires that new tankers have double hulls but that existing tankers either be refitted with double hulls in the next

   This tells us that proposed legislation would already be partially in agreement with the environmentalist's recommendation. The recommendation is for the government to mandate double-hulls on all tankers, whereas this legislation only requires it on new tankers. But that really has no effect on the conversation. If I'm trying to argue that we should have a $15 minimum wage, and you say that "there is legislation currently proposed to raise the minimum wage to $12", that doesn't strengthen or weaken my claim.

   3%
4. D

   Correct91% picked this

   Fumes can become trapped between the two hull layers of double-hulled tankers, and the risk of explosions that could rupture the

   Why this is right

   This reinforces something the industry rep was saying and helps make the double-hull idea sound like a potentially bad plan. The rep told us that double hulls create new safety issues. This answer tells us about one such safety issue, and it actually carries a risk of rupturing the tanker's hull, which would lead to a big oil spill. So this answer strengthens the industry rep's rebuttal to the environmentalist's recommendation by showing how the recommendation could backfire and lead to more of the problem (oil spills) that the recommendation is designed to prevent.

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

   91%
5. E

   No Impact3% picked this

   From now on, the oil industry will be required by recent legislation to finance a newly

   Like (C), this answer is saying that the government is planning to do / already doing something that fits into part of what the environmentalist is recommending. She wanted oil companies to assume financial responsibility for accidents, and it sounds like they are going to be forced to financially contribute to an oil-spill cleanup fund.

   3%