Quote:
A proposed law in State Q requires that all applicants receive training and pass a road test under winter conditions before they are granted drivers' licenses. During debate on the legislation, a council member argued that the enormous expenditures required for the law could not be justified by public safety needs, and that the money would be better spent on other programs. The council member noted that over the past five years, fewer than fifteen percent of motor vehicle collisions in the state occurred when there was snow on the ground.
Which of the following, if true, would most weaken the council member's argument?
A. The majority of car accidents in State Q involving death or serious injury in the last two years occurred when there was snow or ice on the road.
B. The majority of car accidents in State Q in any given year do not result in any personal injury, only property damage.
C. State Q, located in the northern portion of the country, experiences snow more often than any other state in the country.
D. Most drivers in State Q have no formal training in techniques for driving in the snow.
E. State Q has the highest number of motor vehicle fatalities in the entire country.
ARGUMENT
[prem] proposed law req public to get training and pass winter test to receive license;
[prem] fewer than 15% of collisions past 5y occurred when there was snow;
[con] expenditures required for the law does not justify the public safety needs;
WEAKEN
B. this strengthens - if most accidents don't result in injury, then the proposed law seems unjustified;
C. irrelevant;
D. most have no snow training, but do they really need it?
E. irrelevant;
Ans (A) most deaths (serious public risk) occurred when there was snow, so this weakens the evidence used by the argument;