Critical Reasoning: Argument Structure - Identifying Conclusions Using Non-Conjunctions
{color:red}**(1)** Sure Enough Insurance is a large insurance company that has recently been dealing with financial difficulties.{/color} {color:dark-green}**(2)** Claims are handled by claims coordinators who determine how much, if at all, Sure Enough Insurance must pay the policyholder who made the claim.{/color} {color:dark-blue}**(3)** The aforementioned financial difficulties are forcing Sure Enough Insurance to fire 25% of its claim coordinators.{/color} {color:yellow}**(4)** To minimize the potentially harmful effects of these cuts, it is recommended that Sure Enough Insurance lay off coordinators whose average time of completing work on their assigned claims is the longest.{/color}
Which sentence includes the argument's {color:light-blue}**conclusion**{/color}?
No, this isn't it.
Sentence 1 is a {color:light-green}**premise**{/color}. It provides factual data that's considered true.
Sorry, no.
Sentence 2 provides factual data that's considered true. So, it's a {color:light-green}**premise**{/color}.
No, actually.
This sentence is confusing because it's likely that Sure Enough Insurance made the decision to lay off employees based on the information presented in the text. However, this sentence isn't presented as a {color:light-blue}**conclusion**{/color}. It's simply relaying the fact of the company's actions.
Therefore, Sentence 3 is a {color:light-green}**premise**{/color}.
Well done!
Not necessarily.
Although that thinking does help with the process of elimination, remember that not ==**all**== Critical Arguments include a {color:light-blue}**conclusion**{/color}. There are arguments that consist only of {color:light-green}premises{/color}. The key to identifying the {color:light-blue}**conclusion**{/color} in Sentence 4 is that this sentence includes a **recommendation**.
That's not it.
The {color:light-blue}**conclusion**{/color} does not always appear in the last sentence of the argument. It can appear at the beginning, in the middle, or at the end of the argument.
Very good!
Sentence 4 contains the words *it is recommended*. Note that this recommendation is based on the previously stated {color:light-green}**premises**{/color} regarding Sure Enough Insurance's financial troubles. Because of the wording and the logical connection, Sentence 4 is the {color:light-blue}**conclusion**{/color}.
Why do you think the {color:light-blue}**conclusion**{/color} is in Sentence 4?
Sentence 1
Sentence 2
Sentence 3
Sentence 4
The first three sentences are premises, so Sentence 4 must be a conclusion.
Sentence 4 is the last sentence, and the conclusion is always in the last sentence of the argument.
Sentence 4 includes a recommendation, which is a clue to identifying the conclusion.
