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A. This is the missing link. If San Hernan's students leave and Morton doesn't have enough students for two schools, then closing one becomes necessary. Correct
B. The capacity of San Hernan's new school doesn't matter. The issue is what happens to Morton's schools.
C. If San Hernan students are only a small proportion, Morton is more likely to still have enough students for both schools.
D. The schools don't need to have been overcrowded for one to become unnecessary after losing students.
E. Student transfers aren't the key issue. We need to know whether Morton has enough students to justify two schools.
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Correct Answer: A

ARGUMENT STRUCTURE:
- Premise: San Hernan students will leave Morton's 2 elementary schools next year.
- Conclusion: Morton will HAVE to close one of those two schools.

LOGICAL GAP:
Assumes losing San Hernan students drops Morton's total enrollment below the threshold required to operate 2 schools.

NEGATION TEST ON CHOICE A:
- Negation: "Without San Hernan students, Morton has enough students to keep both schools running."
- Effect: The conclusion that Morton MUST close a school collapses.
- Therefore, A is the necessary assumption.

Conclusion: Answer Choice A.

Bunuel
­Currently, the town of San Hernan sends its elementary students to Carmichael Elementary School or Ira Hayes Elementary School in the neighboring town of Morton. However, San Hernan will have its own elementary school next year. Therefore, Morton will have to close either Carmichael Elementary School or Ira Hayes Elementary School next year.

The argument above assumes that:

A. without the San Hernan students, Mortonwill have too few students for two schools.

B. the new school will not be filled to capacity for several years.

C. the students from San Hernan represent a small proportion of the student body of the Morton schools.

D. Morton’s elementary schools have been overcrowded because of the extra students from San Hernan.

E. students will not transfer out of the district in the next twelve months.


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Bunuel
­Currently, the town of San Hernan sends its elementary students to Carmichael Elementary School or Ira Hayes Elementary School in the neighboring town of Morton. However, San Hernan will have its own elementary school next year. Therefore, Morton will have to close either Carmichael Elementary School or Ira Hayes Elementary School next year.

The argument above assumes that:

A. without the San Hernan students, Mortonwill have too few students for two schools.

B. the new school will not be filled to capacity for several years.

C. the students from San Hernan represent a small proportion of the student body of the Morton schools.

D. Morton’s elementary schools have been overcrowded because of the extra students from San Hernan.

E. students will not transfer out of the district in the next twelve months.

KAPLAN OFFICIAL SOLUTION:



Correct Choice: (A)

Here the conclusion— signaled by the word“therefore”—is that one of the two schools in Morton will have to close. The evidence is that San Hernan will have constructed its own school. To link these, we must assume that the opening of the new school will reduce the Morton student population below what would justify keeping both schools open. So choice (A) is correct.

Choices (B) and (E) do not link the opening of the new school to the attendance at the original two schools. Choices (C) and (D) actually weaken the argument, since it would be more likely that the remaining population at the original schools would still merit two schools­
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