The program to control the entry of illegal drugs into the country was a failure in 1987. If the program had been successful, the wholesale price of most illegal drugs would not have dropped substantially in 1987. The argument in the passage depends on which of the following assumptions? (A) The supply of illegal drugs dropped substantially in 1987. (B) The price paid for most illegal drugs by the average consumer did not drop substantially in 1987. (C) Domestic production of illegal drugs increased at a higher rate than did the entry of such drugs into the country. (D) The wholesale price of a few illegal drugs increased substantially in 1987. (E) A drop in demand for most illegal drugs in 1987 was not the sole cause of the drop in their wholesale price. Related question (weaken): https://gmatclub.com/forum/the-program-to-control-the-entry-of-illegal-drugs-into-the-weaken-137754.html The only choice that must be true in order to conclude legitimately from the drop in wholesale price of illegal drugs that the program was a failure is choice E, the best answer. If the drop in price was caused by a drop in demand, there is no reason to suspect that there has been any increase in supply caused by drugs entering the country. The other choices can be false without affecting the argument. The supply of illegal drugs need not have dropped (choice A), and the retail price could have dropped (choice B). The entry of illegal drugs could have risen at a higher rate than domestic production (choice C), and no illegal drug need have undergone a substantial price rise (choice D).

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The program to control the entry of illegal drugs into the country was

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Gemmie

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21 Jun 2024, 01:10

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The argument's conclusion is that the program to control the entry of illegal drugs into the country was a failure in 1987. This conclusion is based on the evidence that the wholesale price of most illegal drugs dropped substantially in 1987. For this argument to hold, it assumes that the drop in wholesale prices was due to an increase in supply rather than a decrease in demand.

This assumption is directly addressed in: (E) A drop in demand for most illegal drugs in 1987 was not the sole cause of the drop in their wholesale price.

This choice states that the price drop was not only because of reduced demand, implying that supply (including illegal entry) was a factor, supporting the argument's conclusion that the program failed to control drug entry.

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