Critical Reasoning: Boldface Type Questions
Company spokesperson: As things stand at the moment, the fruitful cooperation between the Federal Government and our company has yielded satisfying results. The monetary aid we have been receiving has enabled us to fend off a personnel cut that would put thousands of employees out of work. A decision to discontinue the aid program will have adverse effects. It may force upon us a full reorganization program that will include a substantive reduction in the number of employees.
In the company spokesperson's argument, the two portions in boldface play which of the following roles?
Right you are!
[[snippet]]The spokesperson advocates the continuation of monetary aid (i.e., the pattern of cause and effect in the premise) and the second boldface part is the prediction of what would happen should that aid stop.
Incorrect.
[[snippet]]The salesperson does not assume what happened with the monetary aid - he or she knows it. That information is presented matter-of-factly, so it's a premise. You can immediately eliminate answer choices that incorrectly define the first boldface part; do not waste time reading the rest.
Incorrect.
[[snippet]]While this answer choice defines the first boldface part correctly, it defines the second incorrectly. The second part can be eliminated simply based on its inherent flaw - a premise is factual data and therefore cannot be about the future (which is unknown). Statements about the future are called predictions and usually serve as conclusions.
Incorrect.
[[snippet]]While this answer choice defines the first boldface part correctly, it defines the second incorrectly. The second part goes against the tone of the argument, as the spokesperson does not wish to end the current status quo but to maintain it.
Incorrect.
[[snippet]]While this answer choice defines the first boldface part correctly, it defines the second incorrectly. The second part is a prediction which strengthens, rather than weighs against, the conclusion in sentence 3 that stopping the monetary aid would be a bad idea.
