D is the answer.Although the fine for overspeeding on highways has been tripled, many young adults still drive faster than the prescribed speed limits. Recently, the highway patrolling police came up with a new speedgun that indicates on a GPS system any movement faster than the prescribed speed limit. While this technology may help in catching more cases of overspending, the local media is accusing the state patrolling police for finding alternate means for improving its ticket collections. With the young adults constituting only 5% of the total drivers in the state, improvement expected in ticket collections is not likely to be significant. Therefore, the accusation by the local media against the state patrolling police is certainly uncalled for.
Which one of the following, if true, most helps to strengthen the conclusion drawn in the argument?
Question type: StrengthenConclusion:
Therefore, the accusation by the local media against the state patrolling police is certainly uncalled for.Premises:
--fines tripled
--young people speed anyway
--young people less than 5% of the population
--There is a better system to catch speeders
--The media accuses the police of 'just wanting to increase ticket collections' so to speak.
Prediction:
I need to strengthen the conclusion/the media are wrong... the
new system to catch speeders is not just to increase tickets/collection from tickets.Points to Ponder:
--
Is there a weakness in the argument? Something present in the argument that is NOT connected to the conclusion, but can be....i.e., is this problem functioning as an ASSUMPTION... an argument with a missing gap that if filled with strengthen the argument?--did they mention the young people for a reason?... I BET SO! Too much of the argument relates to them. Information about the young people can be CONNECTED to the Conclusion.
YUP, I bet so. They never "finished" the argument with the 'young people.' We can add a premise/fill the gap/connect the young people that ARE getting caught (ONLY 5% of the population) to the conclusion that the media is being too harsh on the police!SOoooo an answer that indicates that only 5% of the drivers... the ones that are still speeding DESPITE the increase in detection... is
NOT ENOUGH to earn the claim that the police are only trying to increase their collections.In conditional language, this can be represented as:
merely 5% of drivers are affected -----> The police are NOT merely trying to increase collections.OR
We could add another premise. This is always a possibility, although once the above is noted, it is unlikely that we will simply add "another reason."
Stay in the argument! Use the young people! This answer seems anemic!
Let's consider the options. B/c I have a GREAT prediction, I'm simply skimming to find it. If my answer is not there, I will slow down to see how each answer affects the ability to get to the conclusion.
This is it... Nobody but the young are getting caught. The police are not JUST trying to increase their collections if they are only "trapping" 5% of the population!
D. Almost all drivers who are not young adults take care not to overspeed since the increase in fine.
For completeness, let's consider why the other answers (must be) are wrong:
A. Most drivers who are not young adults will not understand how the speed guns could detect them.
NO. HOW the guns detect them is simply immaterial! Not!
B. There are sophisticated devices that car drivers can use to detect the use of a speedgun and so can avoid getting caught.
So what? The young are still getting caught and apparently other drivers are not. Out of the Scope!
C. Most of the young adult drivers have adhered to the speed limits since the increase in fine.
That still leave SOME that are getting caught. The argument does not hinge on catching ALL of the young people. Irrelevant.
E. Speedguns are expensive but the patrol police can use fake speedguns only to scare potential overspeeders.
Out of the Scope. So what? Irrelevant to the premises and the conclusion. Just NO!