Why should the government, rather than industry or universities, provide the money to put a network of supercomputers in place? Because there is a range of problems that can be attacked only with the massive data-managing capacity of a supercomputer network. No business or university has the resources to purchase by itself enough machines for a whole network, and no business or university wants to invest in a part of a network if no mechanism exists for coordinating establishment of the network as a whole.

Which one of the following indicates a weakness in the argument?
(A) It does not furnish a way in which the dilemma concerning the establishment of the network can be resolved.
(B) It does not establish the impossibility of creating a supercomputer network as an international network.
(C) It fails to address the question of who would maintain the network if the government, rather than industry or universities, provides the money for establishing it.
(D) It takes for granted and without justification that it would enhance national preeminence in science for the government to provide the network.
(E) It overlooks the possibility that businesses or universities, or both, could cooperate to build the network.
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JAI HIND!

E.

This or that. Why not this and that.

Hmm...now it seems so simple...I got this wrong!
OA is E.
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JAI HIND!

Anand,

I think the right answer choice is E

The key word in the argument is 'itself' and 'part of the network'. If they (businesses and universities) can't do it by themselves and don't want to buy just part of the network, can business and universities combine to establish this network? This effectively weakens the conclusion that government should pool in. Hope it helps.