| Critical Reasoning Butler: December 2025 |
| December 31 | CR 1 | CR 2 |
_______________________________
CR 1 If the state’s construction firms continue to harvest wood at the current pace, all viable tree farms will soon be exhausted, and woodlands will need to be used to maintain a steady supply of wood. Levying heavy taxes on each ton of wood harvested will induce the firms to reduce their consumption; these taxes will, therefore, protect the state’s woodlands.
Which of the following is an assumption made in drawing the conclusion above?
(A) The construction firms will reduce the amount of wood they consume by reducing the number of projects they take on.
(B) The taxes will not significantly affect the profits of most construction firms, even if they do not reduce the amount of wood they consume.
(C) Tree farms outside the state’s borders could be used as a source of wood for the state’s construction industry.
(D) Most of the state’s residents consider the beauty of the woodlands an important issue.
(E) The taxes will not induce the construction firms to illegally harvest wood from the woodlands.
_______________________________
CR 2 Angel investors are protected from the legal liabilities of labor violations committed by the startups they invest in. A lawyer argues that this protection is in part why the rate of labor violations in startups is so high, as it negates any motivation on the part of the investor to determine whether the startups manage their employees ethically. If angel investors were more selective, startups would have to display compliance with labor laws to secure capital from them.
Which of the following, if true, most seriously weakens the lawyer's argument?
A. Before angel investors were protected from the legal liabilities incurred by the startups they invest in, there were fewer labor violations in startups than there are now.
B. The liability of an angel investor for labor violations committed by a startup in which the investor has invested depends on the level of involvement the investor has with the startup.
C. Most angel investors are well aware that they are protected from the legal liabilities of labor violations committed by the startups they invest in.
D. There is an upper limit to the amount of involvement an angel investor can have with a startup, while maintaining protection from the legal liabilities of labor violations committed by the startup, but few exceed this limit.
E. When angel investors were not protected from the legal liabilities incurred by the startups they invest in, frequent labor violations occurred in startups as a result of the lack of capital with the startups.