| Critical Reasoning Butler: January 2025 |
| January 16 | CR 1 | CR 2 |
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CR 1 Agriculturalists have noted that soil with an abnormally low proportion of nutrients such as magnesium and potassium is usually acidic, which severely hampers crop growth. Thus, agriculturalists recommend treating soil with nutrient-heavy fertilizers such as lime, wood ash, and Epsom salts to prevent soil acidity.
Which of the following, if true, most strongly suggests that it would not be advisable to follow the agriculturists’ recommendation?
A. Soil acidity alters the chemistry of soil in a way that makes it difficult for it to absorb nutrients such as magnesium and potassium.
B. Soil acidity can resolve itself without intervention, sometimes.
C. Lime contains elements that are not easily absorbed by many types of soil.
D. Epsom salts are not easily available in all regions.
E. Low magnesium and potassium levels in soil can in some cases be fixed through composting.
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CR 2 A carbon credit is a permit that allows a company to produce a certain amount of greenhouse gases. The government issues the credits to companies who invest in environmental initiatives. After reaching their limit for greenhouse gas production, larger companies sell their remaining credits to smaller companies for less than the smaller companies would need to invest in environmental initiatives to earn the credits themselves. This practice has resulted in a drop in investment in environmental initiatives.
To discourage the purchase and sale of carbon credits, it would be best if the government restricted
A. how many credits a company can earn per year
B. the industries that can use the credits
C. in which months of the year the additional credits can be used
D. how much time may elapse between the issuing and use of the credits
E. the use of the credits to the companies that earned them and the companies’ subsidiaries