vmdce129907 wrote:
ChrisLele wrote:
This is a tricky question. We want to make sure we do not lose track of the conclusion, which can basically be boiled down to: in a recession getting a teaching job at Vergonia's government-funded schools will not become difficult.
Vargonia has just introduced a legal requirement that student-teacher ratios in government-funded schoolsnot exceed a certain limit. All Vargonian children are entitled to education, free of charge, in these schools. When a recession occurs and average incomes fall, the number of children enrolled in government-funded schools tends to increase. Therefore, though most employment opportunities contract in economic recessions, getting a teaching job in Vargonia's government-funded schools will not be made more difficult by a recession.
Which of the following would be most important to determine in order to evaluate the argument?
(A) Whether in Vargonia there are any schools not funded by the government that offer children an education free of charge
Schools that are not government-funded are irrelevant to the argument.
(B) Whether the number of qualified applicants for teaching positions in government-funded schools increases significantly during economic recessions
Here we have a reason that undermines the conclusion. If everybody is applying for a job at Vergonia's schools during a recession, getting a job there will not be easy. The assumption in the argument is that the increased demand for teachers will not be met with an increased supply of teachers. (B) exposes this assumption. Thus, in evaluating the argument, we need to know whether government-funded schools are inundated with a supply of teachers.
(C) What the current student-teacher ratio in Vargonia's government-funded schools is
This knowledge does not address the conclusion.
(D) What proportion of Vargonia's workers currently hold jobs as teachers in government-funded schools
Knowledge of the number of workers in Vargonia who currently work at government schools will not help us determine the validity of the conclusion. We need an answer choice that addresses the questions: Will it be easy to get a job at government-related schools in a recession.
(E) Whether in the past a number of government funded schools in Vargonia have had student teacher ratios well in excess of the new limit
Again, this answer choice does not help us address the conclusion.
+1 B.
For now, we can safely ignore 'E' ,but If the teacher student ratio (instead of student teacher ratio) was given well excess of the new limit, I think this option would also have been the contender because if there are already more teachers in the government schools, even in economic recession they might not need to hire new teachers. Press +1 kudos if you like my explanationVargonia has just introduced a legal requirement that student-teacher ratios in government-funded schools not exceed a certain limit. All Vargonian children are entitled to education, free of charge, in these schools. When a recession occurs and average incomes fall, the number of children enrolled in government-funded schools tends to increase. Therefore, though most employment opportunities contract in economic recessions, getting a teaching job in Vargonia's government-funded schools will not be made more difficult by a recession.
Which of the following would be most important to determine in order to evaluate the argument?
(A) Whether in Vargonia there are any schools not funded by the government that offer children an education free of charge
….IF THIS OPTION ADD “DURING RECESSION”,THEN IT CAN BE A CONTENDER
(B) Whether the number of qualified applicants for teaching positions in government-funded schools increases significantly during economic recessions. ….correct
(C) What the current student-teacher ratio in Vargonia's government-funded schools is
(D) What proportion of Vargonia's workers currently hold jobs as teachers in government-funded schools
(E) Whether in the past a number of government funded schools in Vargonia have had student teacher ratios well in excess of the new limit
Conclusion: find a job in government-funding school “won’t be more difficult” during recession
“won’t be more difficult”,thus maybe easier(opportunities increase)/the same ----but it won't be more difficult(opportunities decrease)
--->if find a job during recession become “more difficult”, then it will weaken the conclusion, thus become a determinant in evaluating the argument
We had to choose which option will weaken the conclusion
-or say, “which option” will make finding a job in government-funding school “be more difficult” during recession???
For (E), if its true, will it weaken the conclusion?
If the answer is yes, then (E) can be a determinant in evaluating the argument
(E) Whether in the past a number of government funded schools in Vargonia have had student teacher ratios well in excess of the new limit(yes-no question)
If we assume the above option(E) to be true, and we change it to positive sentence
---> in the past a number of government funded schools in Vargonia have had student teacher ratios well in excess of the new limit
To an “normal period”
---> the ratio in normal period well in excess of the new(recession) limit
, thus
in normal period, one teacher can accept more students
in recession period, one teacher can only accept less student based on the new limit
To this option(E), we had to notice that, does “in the past” mean normal period or whether its recession, we don’t know for sure, here option (E) doesn’t specifically mention what this “in the past” typify
Also, “new” limit, does this “new” mean recession period, option(E) also doesn’t say very exactly
NOW WE CAN ONLY GUESS
If “in the past” indeed mean “normal period”
and also we know that during recession, students increase in government-funding school(but in this, we don’t know the degree to which it increase and whether or not it will go beyond the new limit)
The demand for the teacher---will have two situations
1. Same(maybe the new limit is still high enough that we don’t need to worry that we will pass beyond it---one teacher still has room to accept more students and won’t pass the limit)
2. Rise
And it will never show the third situation “decrease”
So if (E)--- in the past a number of government funded schools in Vargonia have had student teacher ratios well in excess of the new limit---IS TRUE
--->THEN
in recession period, one teacher can only accept less student based on the new limit
--->the demand for teacher will stay the same or increase
will this weaken the conclusion-- find a job in government-funding school “won’t be more difficult” during recession
----the answer obviously is “NOT”
---THUS (E) CANNOT BE A DETERMINANT IN EVALUATING ARGUMENT
BUT ONLY IN THIS SITUATION THAT
- IF THE EXTENT TO WHICH “S-T RATIO LIMIT” INCREASE IS LARGER THAN THE AMOUNT TO THE INCREASE OF QUANTITY OF “STUDENTS”(DURING RECESSION)
THEN THE DEMAND FOR TEACHER WILL DECREASE RATHER THAN INCREASE, AND THUS WEAKEN THE CONCLUSION
………..FROM ABOVE, WE SEE THAT TOO MANY FACTORS SHOULD BE CONSIDER INTO THIS OPTION(E), IT OBVIOUSLY WON’T BE THE CORRECT ANSWER