This is a method of reasoning question. Other such questions are the bold-face type of question, the evaluate the argument type of question etc.
This question asks us to determine the relationship between Elizabeth’s argument and Catherine’s argument. Elizabeth’s argument deals with the fact that thousands of college graduates face unemployment because the training given to them by college is not complete. She suggests that the government should deal with this problem by providing hands-on industrial training, which will make up for the gap left by the college education.
Catherine’s argument deals with Elizabeth’s plan. But, she only states that there will be certain college graduates who still will not be able to get jobs even if the training programmes are effective. By addressing only a group that will not benefit from the training, Catherine leaves out the group of people that may actually benefit from the training. By doing so, Catherine contradicts Elizabeth’s plan, but only deals with the possibility that it may not help one group.
Option B states that Catherine believes that Elizabeth’s plans are based on an impractical concern. What Catherine says is that the ‘plan’ will not work practically, not that the ‘concerns’ that the plan is based on are impractical. So, Option B is wrong.
Option C is wrong because it states that Catherine assumes that Elizabeth’s plan will not have ‘any’ positive impact, implying that nothing good will come out of it. However, there is no such suggestion in her argument. The use of the word ‘any’ makes it a rather extreme option.
Option E states that Catherine brings out a flaw in Elizabeth’s argument. However, Catherine only points out that a certain group ay not benefit from the plan. That is not a flaw in the plan itself.
We are left with Options A and D. These options are similar to each other but, Option D is more specific. Catherine does analyze Elizabeth’s argument as a whole, but focuses only on a group that may not be able to take advantage of the plan.
Jayanthi Kumar.