Logical Reasoning

PT23 · S3 · Q15 Funding opponent: Some people favor

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Funding opponent: Some people favor city funding for the spaying and neutering of pets at the owners’ request.

Conclusion (So)

There will not be a significant decrease in the number of stray animals in the city if this funding for spaying and neutering is provided.

Evidence

80% of pet owners already pay to spay or neuter their animals.

Evaluate

In order to understand different ways to Strengthen this argument, we should think about how we would object to it / what are its vulnerabilities?

Given that … 80% of pet owners already pay to spay or neuter their animals,

How could someone argue that … if the city provides funding for spaying and neutering, there will be a significant decrease in the number of stray animals?

It seems like we would just say,

Goal

Get rid of four answers that strengthen.

Strengtheners will probably reassure us that the pets that haven’t yet been spayed / neutered don’t contribute meaningfully to the number of strays in the city, or they will make us think that the 20% of owners who don’t already pay for these procedures still wouldn’t be willing to get their pets spayed or neutered, even if the city were offering to pay for it.

15.

Each of the following, if true strengthens the argument of the funding opponent EXCEPT:

  1. Very few of the stray

    Strengthens

    This helps convince us that the strays in this city almost never come from pets, so the 20% of pets that aren’t spayed / neutered aren’t part of the problem. Even if the city pays for those pets to be spayed / neutered, it won’t significantly affect the number of strays, since those pets were never causing strays in the first place.

    6% picked this

  2. Correct

    Many pet owners would have

    Why this is right

    This weakens! We could strengthen the argument by saying, “Even if the city provides funding, it won’t make a big difference in the number of strays, since no pet owners are going to have their animals spayed or neutered any sooner because of this funding.”

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

    67% picked this

  3. The only way the number

    Strengthens

    This helps show that the plan to provide funding for pet owners to spay / neuter their pets wouldn’t make a big difference in the stray problem, because the only way to decrease strays is trying to get strays spayed or neutered. “Plan A won’t make a big difference with Problem X, because the only way to address Problem X is by doing something that Plan A doesn’t do.”

    10% picked this

  4. Most pet owners who do

    Strengthens

    This helps convince us that the 20% of pet owners who are holdouts are not holding out because of the money. They’re holding out on spaying / neutering their pets because they think it’s morally wrong to do so. Thus, it helps the author to argue that providing funding isn’t going to make any difference.

    14% picked this

  5. The majority of pets that

    Strengthens

    Just like (A), this helps convince us that the strays in this city don’t come from the 20% of pets that aren’t spayed / neutered. That 20% is mostly used for breeding purposes and unlikely to produce stray animals. If it’s not contributing to the problem with strays, then the city’s plan to try to get those pets spayed / neutered isn’t going to affect the problem with strays.

    3% picked this

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