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Ceramic floors require large amounts of water to be kept clean. Carpets, however, do not need water to be cleaned. An environmental protection group is urging the public to use carpeted flooring instead of ceramic tiles since carpets save water and, therefore, are better for the preservation of resources.
Which of the following, if true, undermines the environmental protection group's explanation for the preferred use of carpeted flooring?
A. Ceramic flooring is usually more expensive than carpeting although this depends greatly on the actual products that are used.
B. Carpets do not provide the same degree of heat insulation that is provided by ceramic tiles.
C. The firing process in the manufacturing of ceramic tiles requires the burning of large amounts of wood.
D. Water and other resources can only be successfully preserved on the basis of a close cooperation between environmental ideologists and citizens.
E. Carpets need to be vacuumed and, therefore, require electricity; in most countries this implies increasing the fossil fuel consumption of a household.
Which of the following, if true, undermines the environmental protection group's explanation for the preferred use of carpeted flooring?
A. Ceramic flooring is usually more expensive than carpeting although this depends greatly on the actual products that are used.
B. Carpets do not provide the same degree of heat insulation that is provided by ceramic tiles.
C. The firing process in the manufacturing of ceramic tiles requires the burning of large amounts of wood.
D. Water and other resources can only be successfully preserved on the basis of a close cooperation between environmental ideologists and citizens.
E. Carpets need to be vacuumed and, therefore, require electricity; in most countries this implies increasing the fossil fuel consumption of a household.
03 Dec 2023, 07:40
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The answer is E.
A. Ceramic flooring being more expensive than carpeting doesn't directly challenge the environmental group's argument about water usage for cleaning. Cost isn't directly related to the water conservation aspect highlighted in their argument.
B. The lack of heat insulation provided by carpets compared to ceramic tiles is a different aspect and doesn't directly refute the group's claim about water conservation. It addresses a different feature of the flooring materials.
C. The firing process in the manufacturing of ceramic tiles requiring the burning of large amounts of wood introduces another environmental concern associated with the production of ceramic tiles. Hence, this option actually strengthens the environmental protection group's explanation instead of weakening it.
D. This option emphasizes the importance of cooperation between environmental ideologists and citizens for successful resource preservation. However, it doesn't address the specific comparison between water usage in cleaning ceramic floors versus carpets.
E. Carpets need electricity for vacuuming, which can increase fossil fuel consumption in households in many countries. This undermines the environmental group's argument as it suggests that while carpets may save water compared to cleaning ceramic floors, the increased electricity consumption for vacuuming could potentially offset any water conservation benefits, introducing another environmental consideration that challenges the overall environmental impact of using carpets.
A. Ceramic flooring being more expensive than carpeting doesn't directly challenge the environmental group's argument about water usage for cleaning. Cost isn't directly related to the water conservation aspect highlighted in their argument.
B. The lack of heat insulation provided by carpets compared to ceramic tiles is a different aspect and doesn't directly refute the group's claim about water conservation. It addresses a different feature of the flooring materials.
C. The firing process in the manufacturing of ceramic tiles requiring the burning of large amounts of wood introduces another environmental concern associated with the production of ceramic tiles. Hence, this option actually strengthens the environmental protection group's explanation instead of weakening it.
D. This option emphasizes the importance of cooperation between environmental ideologists and citizens for successful resource preservation. However, it doesn't address the specific comparison between water usage in cleaning ceramic floors versus carpets.
E. Carpets need electricity for vacuuming, which can increase fossil fuel consumption in households in many countries. This undermines the environmental group's argument as it suggests that while carpets may save water compared to cleaning ceramic floors, the increased electricity consumption for vacuuming could potentially offset any water conservation benefits, introducing another environmental consideration that challenges the overall environmental impact of using carpets.
03 Dec 2023, 21:15
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OFFICIAL EXPLANATION
Ceramic floors require large amounts of water to be kept clean. Carpets, however, do not need water to be cleaned. An environmental protection group is urging the public to use carpeted flooring instead of ceramic tiles since carpets save water and, therefore, are better for the preservation of resources.
Which of the following, if true, undermines the environmental protection group's explanation for the preferred use of carpeted flooring?
A. Ceramic flooring is usually more expensive than carpeting although this depends greatly on the actual products that are used.
Incorrect.
To solve this Conclusion Weakening question, first break down the argument. The first two sentences contain premises which provide factual data. The last sentence uses the conclusion conjunction therefore so it's the argument's conclusion:
- Premise A: To clean ceramic floors requires water
+
Premise B: To clean carpeted floors does not require water
=
Conclusion: carpeted floors waste less water and, therefore, fewer resources
Possible assumption: the cleaning of carpets does not require the usage of any resources at all.
Weakening Data: ?
You are required to find data that weakens the conclusion that carpets save the earth's resources. The correct answer could be one that exposes the argument's assumption.
This answer choice neither weakens nor strengthens the conclusion. The prices of the two types of flooring are irrelevant, as the argument focuses on comparing their environmental effect.
B. Carpets do not provide the same degree of heat insulation that is provided by ceramic tiles.
Incorrect.
This answer choice neither weakens nor strengthens the conclusion. While this certainly constitutes a disadvantage for carpets, it does not necessarily mean they require more resources. Thus, carpets are still found to be superior to ceramic tiles in the field of resources preservation.
It is true that poor heat insulation can lead to using up more resources, but this cannot be automatically inferred or assumed. Furthermore, there is an answer choice which directly links carpets with using up resources.
C. The firing process in the manufacturing of ceramic tiles requires the burning of large amounts of wood.
Incorrect.
This answer choice strengthens the conclusion, but you are required to weaken it. Stating that the manufacturing of ceramic tiles uses a lot of wood means that it is a process that wastes a lot of resources - both water and burning fuel, giving us another reason to believe that carpeting is better for the preservation of resources.
D. Water and other resources can only be successfully preserved on the basis of a close cooperation between environmental ideologists and citizens.
Incorrect.
This answer choice neither weakens nor strengthens the conclusion as the conclusion makes a judgement about which flooring is better for the environment, while this answer choice is about how this knowledge can be implemented.
E. Carpets need to be vacuumed and, therefore, require electricity; in most countries this implies increasing the fossil fuel consumption of a household.
This answer choice attacks the argument's assumption by stating that carpets too require the use of some form of resource if they are to be kept clean, which makes then no better than ceramic floors.
