| Critical Reasoning Butler: April 2025 |
| April 24 | CR 1 | CR 2 |
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CR 1 The town of Costaguana has many residents who are committed to supporting businesses that follow fair labor practices. Soon these consumers will be assisted in identifying such businesses by a catalogue published by the Humanitarian Society of Costaguana. The catalogue offers a comprehensive listing, by industry and company name, of businesses in Costaguana that follow fair labor practices. Therefore, publication of the catalogue will almost certainly increase the customer base of such businesses in Costaguana.
Which of the following, if true, most strengthens the argument?
A. Sales of the catalogue are not expected to generate more in revenue than publishing the catalogue will cost.
B. Many businesses that follow fair labor practices vary the stringency with which they adhere to those practices in response to changes in the availability of labor.
C. For many services, such as construction, following fair labor practices results in a different work structure with a correspondingly different utility for the customer.
D. For many types of industries listed in the catalogue, all the businesses operating in Costaguana follow fair labor practices.
E. Within numerous types of industries, there are many companies that follow fair labor practices, although they do nothing to advertise this fact.
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CR 2 Premature hair loss can often be traced back to skin irritation caused by any number of environmental factors. However, removing the factors that led to skin irritation from the environments of the afflicted frequently does not stop the balding. Obviously, some other cause for premature balding besides skin irritation caused by environmental factors must exist.
Which of the following, if true, would most weaken the conclusion above?
A. Very few people suffering from premature hair loss caused by skin irritation regain their lost hair after eliminating the environmental factors that led to skin irritation.
B. Some individuals never experience premature balding despite exposure to environmental factors that irritate their skin.
C. Many people report that the environmental factors that irritate their skin are the ones that are most difficult to avoid.
D. Many common environmental factors generally begin to irritate the skin a few hours after actually coming into contact with them, making it difficult to observe links between specific environmental factors and the balding.
E. Very rarely does skin irritation caused by environmental factors cause a condition more severe than premature balding.