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Critical Reasoning Butler: June 2025
June 16	CR 1	CR 2

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CR 1

Utility Corp, a company with a specific level of cash in its budget, has been clearing uninhabited land near a national park for the construction of a coal plant. This practice continues even though greater annual profits can be made from a nuclear plant, which will not damage the nearby park, than from a coal plant, which will injure the habitat.

Which of the following, if true, most helps to explain why Utility Corp has been pursuing the less profitable of the two economic activities mentioned above?

(A) The nearby park is rich with naturally occurring plant life that is important to the survival of various animal species.

(B) Coal plant operations that are located in uninhabited areas are more profitable than coal plant operations that are located in inhabited areas.

(C) In certain districts, profits made from coal plant operations are more heavily taxed than profits made from any other industry.

(D) Some of the energy produced on land near an area such as a national park cannot be delivered cost-effectively to customers.

(E) The amount of money required to build a nuclear plant is twice as high as the amount needed to begin a coal plant.

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CR 2

Candidate: I am worried about the effects that the recent media coverage of my personal life will have on my chances of gaining office. Even though the reports are untrue, some voters interviewed on television, in response to these reports, have already expressed doubts regarding my ability to lead.

Campaign manager: Your concern is unfounded. Of 1,000 people in this city randomly surveyed by e-mail, only 25 have responded that their perception of your ability to lead has been negatively impacted by the recent media coverage.

The campaign manager's argument is most vulnerable to criticism on the ground that it fails to acknowledge the possibility that

(A) future media reports that follow up on the story of the candidate's personal life will further damage the public's perception of the candidate's ability to lead

(B) the candidate's main opponent will use the opportunity created by the recent media coverage to conduct her own survey to assess the damage done to her opponent's credibility

(C) the voting public would understand that its reaction to the recent media coverage of the candidate's personal life was the intended primary focus of the survey

(D) opinions expressed in television interviews are not always the most reliable indicator of how interviewees are likely to act in given situations

(E) many of those surveyed who are skeptical of the candidate's ability to lead due to the recent reports did not respond to the survey