Argument Structure Identification

Respuesta correcta: C) That public libraries should stay open in every district

• A) That some libraries must closeNo part of the argument proposes closing libraries.
• B) That transport in the district is limitedTransport is a premise about access, not the central proposal.
• C) That public libraries should stay open in every districtThe clause before 'because' states the position the writer wants the reader to accept, which is the claim.
• D) That people without transport cannot reach distant librariesThe clause after 'because' supports the claim rather than being it.

Respuesta correcta: A) A prediction based on a previous outcome

• A) A prediction based on a previous outcomeThe writer projects a past result into the future, which is a prediction drawn from an observed outcome.
• B) A comparison between two unrelated casesThe two situations are linked by the writer's claim rather than being unrelated.
• C) An appeal to an authorityNo expert or official is quoted as the source of the reasoning.
• D) A definition of the word congestionNo definition of the term appears in the argument.

Respuesta correcta: C) The conclusion about pride does not follow from a comparison of forest cover

• A) The argument is circular because it repeats the claimThere is no repetition of the claim, so the argument is not circular.
• B) The word 'therefore' is used in the wrong sentenceThe connector is used correctly; the defect lies in the leap from fact to recommendation.
• C) The conclusion about pride does not follow from a comparison of forest coverA relative ranking in one measure establishes a fact, not a conclusion about what the country should feel.
• D) The comparison of forest cover is falseThe text presents the comparison as accurate, and its truth is not the problem.

Respuesta correcta: A) That buses carry more passengers per kilometre than cars

• A) That buses carry more passengers per kilometre than carsThe conclusion depends on the number of passengers carried, which is the premise that does the work.
• B) That buses are cheaper to operateCost is not mentioned and does not bear on emissions.
• C) That people prefer buses to carsPreference is not part of the reasoning.
• D) That emissions are measured in grams per kilometreThe unit of measurement explains the figures but does not support the conclusion.

Respuesta correcta: B) The cases where it failed are set aside while the successes are generalised

• A) The argument is too short to be assessedArgument length has no bearing on whether the reasoning is sound.
• B) The cases where it failed are set aside while the successes are generalisedDrawing a general conclusion while excluding the failures is selective use of evidence.
• C) The argument is circularNothing in the argument repeats the claim, so it is not circular.
• D) The argument relies on an appeal to authorityNo authority is invoked anywhere in the passage.

Respuesta correcta: B) As a reason for the claim in the first sentence

• A) As a piece of evidence unrelated to the claimThe figure is directly relevant to whether the fare is affordable.
• B) As a reason for the claim in the first sentenceThe income figure is offered to justify the affordability claim, so it functions as a premise.
• C) As a conclusion that summarises the argumentThe first sentence states the claim, so the second cannot be the conclusion.
• D) As a counterargument that the author rejectsNothing in the passage rejects the figure, and it is used in support.

Respuesta correcta: B) That encouragement at work would lead people to exercise regularly

• A) That sick days are unrelated to incomeNothing in the argument concerns income, so the last assumption is irrelevant.
• B) That encouragement at work would lead people to exercise regularlyThe argument moves from what happens when people exercise to what would happen if a workplace encouraged it, and that bridge is assumed rather than shown.
• C) That all workers already exercise every dayClaiming universal exercise contradicts the premise, which describes a correlation among some people.
• D) That exercise has no effect on healthThe premise states that fewer absences were reported, so the argument relies on exercise having an effect.

Respuesta correcta: A) It presents two facts that cut against a verdict supplied by a single opinion

• A) It presents two facts that cut against a verdict supplied by a single opinionThe factual sentences raise both an advantage and a disadvantage, and the verdict rests on one named person rather than on the evidence.
• B) It gives three facts that all support the schemeOne of the two facts works against success, so the sentences do not all support it.
• C) It reports a decision taken by the councilNo decision is recorded in the passage.
• D) It compares the cost of the scheme with the original estimateThe comparison with the estimate is one detail rather than the point of the text.

Respuesta correcta: A) The health comparison is offered without evidence and assumes a link the argument does not show

• A) The health comparison is offered without evidence and assumes a link the argument does not showAsserting a general connection and calling it common knowledge substitutes reputation for evidence.
• B) The claim about the number of lanes is falseThe text presents the ranking as fact, and its accuracy is not the issue.
• C) The argument is too short to be convincingLength has no bearing on the presence of evidence.
• D) The word 'healthiest' is not a real word'Healthiest' is an ordinary superlative form and raises no lexical question.

Respuesta correcta: B) Another cause that affected both the shops and the supermarket decision at the same time

• A) The cost of the supermarket buildingThe building cost is not mentioned and would not resolve the causal question.
• B) Another cause that affected both the shops and the supermarket decision at the same timeTwo events occurring together do not establish a link, and a third factor is the standard alternative explanation.
• C) The possibility that the supermarket also closedNothing suggests that the supermarket closed, and the argument depends on it operating.
• D) The fact that small shops are usually profitableThe profitability of small shops is not raised by the timing described.

Respuesta correcta: C) It treats the credentials of the authors as proof of the quality of the conclusion

• A) It questions whether the report was actually writtenThe report is accepted as written, so authorship is not questioned.
• B) It appeals to the general public rather than to expertsThe appeal is to expertise, not to public opinion.
• C) It treats the credentials of the authors as proof of the quality of the conclusionAuthority supports the credibility of a claim rather than demonstrating that the reasoning inside the report is sound.
• D) It assumes that specialists always disagree with each otherNothing in the argument concerns disagreement between specialists.

Respuesta correcta: A) The conclusion about efficiency is not established by the figures given

• A) The conclusion about efficiency is not established by the figures givenKnowing how many proposals were approved says nothing about speed or efficiency, so the conclusion does not follow from the premises.
• B) The figures about the proposals are falseThe figures are stated as facts, and their accuracy is not the defect.
• C) The argument contradicts itselfThe sentences are consistent with one another, so there is no contradiction.
• D) The committee did not follow its own rulesThe review requirement appears to have been satisfied, since every proposal was reviewed.

Respuesta correcta: B) That the two bridges are alike in the respects that matter for maintenance

• A) That the new bridge is better designedNo design comparison appears anywhere in the passage.
• B) That the two bridges are alike in the respects that matter for maintenanceDrawing a conclusion about the old bridge from the new one requires the two to share relevant properties, and the text does not establish that.
• C) That both bridges were built in the same decadeThe dates of construction are never given, so they cannot be part of the assumption.
• D) That traffic causes damage to a bridgeThe argument concerns repairs rather than the mechanism of damage.

Respuesta correcta: D) As an objection that weakens the argument, by showing improvement occurred without the ban

• A) As additional support for the banThe sentence shows improvement without the ban, which is contrary to the argument's proposal.
• B) As a second conclusion with the same contentIt states a separate fact rather than repeating the claim.
• C) As evidence that air quality cannot changeA trend over several years proves that the variable cannot change at all.
• D) As an objection that weakens the argument, by showing improvement occurred without the banThe pattern of improvement while cars were present undercuts the idea that removing them is what produces improvement.

Respuesta correcta: C) A counterargument that disputes the interpretation rather than the measurement

• A) A restatement of the original claim in other wordsA restatement would repeat the claim; here the explanation of the claim is disputed.
• B) An analogy drawn from a different fieldNo comparison from another field is offered.
• C) A counterargument that disputes the interpretation rather than the measurementThe response accepts the figures and offers an alternative reading of what they mean, which is the structure of a counterargument.
• D) A concession that agrees with the measurementThe responder agrees with the data, but disagreement about the meaning is not a concession on the result.

Respuesta correcta: D) It treats strength of evidence and popularity as substitutes for the merits of the decision

• A) It uses the word 'because' in the wrong positionThe connective is used in a standard position and is not the defect.
• B) It repeats the claim in a different formNothing in the sentence repeats the conclusion.
• C) It contains no conclusion at allThe sentence does state a conclusion, which is what the last option denies.
• D) It treats strength of evidence and popularity as substitutes for the merits of the decisionGood evidence and public approval are relevant but do not by themselves settle what is the correct choice.

Respuesta correcta: C) It divides all possible stances into exhaustive categories

• A) It proves that most people have not decidedNo figures are given about how many people are in each group.
• B) It argues in favour of the changeThe classification is neutral and takes no position on the change.
• C) It divides all possible stances into exhaustive categoriesEvery reader falls into one of the three groups, so the categories leave no place uncovered.
• D) It shows that the debate has no middle groundThe third category exists precisely to hold those who have not taken a side, which is a middle position.

Respuesta correcta: D) It treats the converse of a conditional as if it were the conditional itself

• A) It repeats the conclusion inside the premiseThe premises do not restate the conclusion, so the argument is not circular.
• B) It relies on an appeal to popularityNo popularity is invoked anywhere in the passage.
• C) It draws a conclusion from a single exampleThe error is in the logical form rather than in the number of cases cited.
• D) It treats the converse of a conditional as if it were the conditional itselfFrom 'if the rule reduced inequality, richer families pay more', it does not follow that because they pay more the rule did so.

Respuesta correcta: D) Two cases cannot establish a rule about how the committee always decides

• A) The number of supporters for each proposal is not givenThe text states which proposal received more support, so the information is present.
• B) The committee clearly did not decide by counting supportThe conclusion follows the observed pattern and does not contradict it.
• C) The two proposals should have been assessed on their meritsComparing the proposals on merits is a different question that the argument does not raise.
• D) Two cases cannot establish a rule about how the committee always decidesA general claim about a decision procedure needs more than a single pair of cases to support it.

Respuesta correcta: D) Which other options were considered and who would they have favoured?

• A) How many pages does the policy document contain?The length of the document has no bearing on the substance of the argument.
• B) Does the writer use a formal register throughout?Register is a feature of presentation and does not test the claim about fairness.
• C) Was the policy introduced recently or long ago?The date of introduction is not relevant to whether the option is the fairest.
• D) Which other options were considered and who would they have favoured?A claim about fairness depends on the alternatives, so establishing what else was considered is the direct test.