V31-05

Official Solution:

When Governor Huang ran for office 3 years ago, he repeatedly emphasized that he would reduce the state deficit by at least half. In a statewide poll conducted during his re-election campaign this year, voters were asked whether they believe that the governor fulfilled his major campaign promises. Most respondents said "yes," despite the fact that the state deficit is essentially the same as it was at the time he promised to reduce it. This should not surprise anyone since ____________.

A. the governor said that he would reduce the state deficit by at least half during his first term in office.
B. the poll was given to independent voters as well as people registered with political parties.
C. most respondents, encouraged by lower unemployment rates, were not aware of the exact level of the state deficit.
D. the state deficit is much lower than the deficit of the three states that adjoin Governor Huang's state.
E. the level of crime in the state has decreased substantially during Governor Huang's term, as he had promised it would during his campaign.

CR Box:

Fill In The Blank Inference

1) BID (Boil It Down) Conclusion: It is not surprising that most respondents to the poll said that the Governor has fulfilled his major campaign promises, even though the deficit has not dropped as he had promised.

2) MUST BE TRUE Find the option that must logically follow from the information given. In this case, the blank needs to be proof that renders the conclusion true. For example, it could be that most voters understand that reducing the deficit will take more time, or that the respondents were aware of the level of the deficit.

Choice C is correct. If, as this choice states, people didn't know that the deficit has not gone down, then it certainly wouldn't be surprising that this was reflected in their answers to the poll questions.

Choice A simply provides more specific info (the promise was for the first term), but if anything, this weakens the conclusion. It's even more surprising that the respondents would say he fulfilled his promise since his first term won't last much longer.

Choice B gives us unnecessary background information. It implies that an attempt was made to make the poll somewhat representative of the voters, but that's all.

Choice D does not explain why the results of the poll are not surprising. Did these other states have higher deficits than the governor's state while he was campaigning? Lower deficits? Even if we knew, would it matter to us for this question? No.

Choice E does indicate that the governor has made good on one of his promises, but the poll asked if he had "fulfilled his major campaign promises." This would include the deficit promise, which we are told he "repeatedly emphasized." We can't take this choice and confidently say, "Oh, that's why the respondents said what they did."



Answer: C