To avoid the appearance of conflicts of interest, the board of a major

A. Labor Union threats don't justify the decent living argument.

B. Often working in a certain public company justifies a choice not a need.

C. Higher Avg tenure doesn't directly result in not being able to earn decent living in other field. Mention of Low-level designation also gives hint of general skills.

D. Clearly not supporting the argument.

E. Mention of a particular skill set justifies the need to work at a certain company to earn decent income.

Therefore, option E is the correct answer.

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The critics of the proposed company policy argue that it's unfair because it would likely prevent former top executives of the exchange from earning a decent living. To strengthen this prediction, we need information that shows a strong connection between former top executives of the exchange and publicly traded companies in terms of employment opportunities.

Option (E) provides the most direct support for the critics' argument:

E. Former top executives of the exchange have a particular set of skills such that they are usually only able to find work with publicly traded companies.

This statement suggests that former top executives of the exchange possess skills that are highly specialized and suited for work with publicly traded companies, making it difficult for them to find alternative employment. This strengthens the prediction that the policy would indeed prevent them from earning a decent living, supporting the critics' argument.

A. The labor union that represents most of the stock exchange’s employees has made public statements that threaten a strike if the policy is adopted. OOS

B. Former employees of the exchange most often work for publicly traded companies after leaving the exchange. This talks about the argument but not directly related to Top Executives

C. Low-level managers at the exchange have an average tenure of 13 years, one of the longest in the industry. OOS

D. Low-level managers at the exchange most often leave their jobs for positions with the state or federal government. Want to know about top Execs, not low level Managers

E. Former top executives of the exchange have a particular set of skills such that they are usually only able to find work with publicly traded companies. Talks about Former Top Execs and publicly traded companies in the direction of what argument talks about

Official Explanation:

E

Step 1: Identify the Question Type

We’re looking to strengthen the argument here—specifically the prediction made by the critics of a policy. So as we examine the stimulus, the critics’ argument will be most helpful.

Step 2: Untangle the Stimulus

A new policy would ban former top executives of a major stock exchange from working for publicly traded companies for two years after leaving the exchange. Critics of the policy contend that the policy will prevent the top executives from earning a decent living.

Step 3: Predict the Answer

Since we’re strengthening the prediction, let’s look for an answer choice that makes it more likely that the former top execs can’t earn a decent living. A good prediction is “something that explains why top executives must work at publicly traded companies in order to make a decent living.”

Step 4: Evaluate the Choices

So we should definitely select (E), which states that former top executives of the firm can usually only find work at publicly traded companies because of their particular skill set. If this were true, then a two-year ban on working for publicly traded companies would mean no work for most former top executives (and by extension, no decent living), thus strengthening the prediction stated by critics of the plan. Whether or not the union strikes has no bearing on the effect the new policy would have on the former executives if enacted; thus (A) is incorrect. (B) simply states that most former employees of the exchange work for publicly traded companies; it does not tell us that they could not make a decent living elsewhere if need be. (C) and (D) refer to low-level managers, and the prediction only discusses top executives; thus both are outside the scope and incorrect. Choice (E) is correct.