Political Analyst: After the Soviet Union collapsed, some hoped that f

OFFICIAL EXPLANATION

The analyst recounts a proposal by the Russian government to increase the Russian population. The analyst then dismisses that proposal and makes a counterproposal that he or she then supports with hypothetical scenarios. The claim that the counterproposal (to try good governance) is preferable is the conclusion of the argument.

(A) This choice is incorrect. The first boldface is a fact that indicates the government plan has failed before; it is not the conclusion of the argument. However, the second is a premise in support of the argument’s proposal.

(B) CORRECT. The first is the fact that the government plan has "been tried before, to no avail," a fact that undermines the alternative proposal made by the government. The author's proposal is to improve the country's governance, and the second boldface supports that plan by showing one way in which better governance might lead to a population increase.

(C) The first does not contradict the argument’s conclusion that improved governance will reverse the decline in population. Rather, it undermines the other proposal presented by the government, which is a claim that the argument does not support. The second is not the argument’s main point, but an assertion that supports the conclusion of the argument by showing one way in which better governance might lead to a population increase.

(D) The first is a premise that the government plan has "been tried before, to an avail," which weighs against the preceding proposal. The second is not the proposal that the first directly supports, but an assertion that supports the conclusion of the argument by showing one way in which better governance might lead to a population increase.

(E) The first is not a conclusion at all, rather a factual premise that these measures "have been tried before, to little avail." The second boldface does not oppose the first boldface, rather it is an assertion that supports the conclusion of the argument by showing one way in which better governance might lead to a population increase.