catfreak wrote:
Economist: The economy of the Republic of Nantau has experienced lower than expected growth in the past year, and the value of its currency has dropped against the Yen. As a result, purchases of imported goods, such as usually luxury items or high-end electronics, will likely decrease as people turn to cheaper domestic equivalents. However, this will likely help reverse the negative economic trends by creating a trade surplus as export goods become cheaper.
In the argument given, the two portions in boldface play which of the following roles?
(A) The first supplies a context for the argument; the second is the argument's main conclusion.
The context was established earlier that the economy is in negative progress and second one isn't the main conclusion
(B) The first introduces a development that the argument predicts will have a certain outcome; the second is a state of affairs that the argument denies will be part of that outcome.
The second half predicits it will be part of the outcome and not the other way around and the first half is absolutely correct though but rest is not in sink
(C) The first presents a development that the argument predicts will have a certain outcome; the second acknowledges a consideration that weighs against that prediction.
This is exactly the meaning and the roles played by the 2 bold face therefore let us hang on to it
(D) The first provides evidence to support a prediction that the argument seeks to defend; the second is that prediction.
This is entirely out of the reasoning circle and doesn't even touch the slightest role played by the boldfaces therefore out
(E) The first and the second each provide evidence to support the argument's main conclusion.
These are not the main conclusion of the argument
Therefore IMO C