As the population increases, so does the number of criminals, and with

Question

As the population increases, so does the number of criminals, and with them, the need for prisons. Because of this, the government allows private companies to offer prison services to deal with the growing criminal population. It can be said, therefore, that private prisons have a positive influence on society.

Which of the following, if true, undermines the author's conclusion?

Which of the following, if true, undermines the author's conclusion?

A. Private prisons are monitored so that the living conditions and rules are matched to those provided by government prisons.

B. Linking criminal punishment to profit creates an incentive for incarceration which can distort the justice system.

C. Crime can be prevented if the educational system and social services are improved.

D. Voluntary community service performed by members of the public can greatly influence the social standard of an area.

E. Prisons are extremely expensive to build, and even more so to run.

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pudu · Answer

B. Linking criminal punishment to profit creates an incentive for incarceration which can distort the justice system.
 because it is clearly indicating that private prison has negative impact instead of positive impact mentioned in the conclusion.

Paras96 · Answer

To undermine the author's conclusion that private prisons have a positive influence on society, we need to find an option that shows a potential negative consequence or drawback associated with private prisons.

Option (B) does just that by highlighting a potential issue with the profit motive in the prison system. It states that linking criminal punishment to profit creates an incentive for incarceration, which can distort the justice system. This suggests that private prisons might prioritize profit over the fair administration of justice, which is a potential negative consequence.

Option (A) mentions monitoring private prisons to match living conditions and rules to government prisons, which does not directly undermine the author's conclusion about the positive influence of private prisons.

Option (C) talks about crime prevention through improvements in education and social services, but it doesn't directly address the influence of private prisons.

Option (D) discusses community service and its impact on social standards, which is unrelated to the topic of private prisons.

Option (E) mentions the expense of building and running prisons, but it doesn't directly undermine the argument about the positive influence of private prisons.

So, option (B) is the most relevant choice to undermine the author's conclusion by pointing out the potential negative consequences associated with the profit incentive in private prisons.

Bunuel · Answer

OFFICIAL EXPLANATION

As the population increases, so does the number of criminals, and with them, the need for prisons. Because of this, the government allows private companies to offer prison services to deal with the growing criminal population. It can be said, therefore, that private prisons have a positive influence on society.

Which of the following, if true, undermines the author's conclusion?

Which of the following, if true, undermines the author's conclusion?

A. Private prisons are monitored so that the living conditions and rules are matched to those provided by government prisons.

Incorrect.

To solve this Conclusion Weakening question, first break down the argument. The first two sentences contain premises which provide factual data; the last sentence uses the conclusion conjunction therefore so it is the argument's conclusion:

Premise A: as the number of criminals increases, so does the need for more prisons
 +
Premise B: building private prisons was legalized to accommodate for all the prisoners
 =
Conclusion: private prison companies are good for society

Possible assumption: there are no disadvantages of allowing privatized prisons

Weakening Data: ?

You are required to find data that weakens the conclusion that private prisons are good for society. The correct answer could be one that exposes the argument's assumption.

This answer choice neither weakens nor strengthens the conclusion, as it does not help us determine whether private prisons are indeed good for society. We don't know the standards of government prisons, so we cannot infer anything about privatized ones.

B. Linking criminal punishment to profit creates an incentive for incarceration which can distort the justice system.

This answer choice weakens the conclusion by showing that privatized prisons may have a negative influence on society. If privatized prisons mean someone is getting paid for every prisoner, this could lead to people having an interest to promote a stricter judicial system (one which sends more people to jail). This could lead to distorted justice system - clearly a negative influence.

C. Crime can be prevented if the educational system and social services are improved.

Incorrect.

To solve this Conclusion Weakening question, first break down the argument. The first two sentences contain premises which provide factual data; the last sentence uses the conclusion conjunction therefore so it is the argument's conclusion:

Premise A: as the number of criminals increases, so does the need for more prisons
 +
Premise B: building private prisons was legalized to accommodate for all the prisoners
 =
Conclusion: private prison companies are good for society

Possible assumption: there are no disadvantages of allowing privatized prisons

Weakening Data: ?

You are required to find data that weakens the conclusion that private prisons are good for society. The correct answer could be one that exposes the argument's assumption.

This answer choice neither weakens nor strengthens the conclusion as it does nothing to help us undermine the claim that privatized prisons are good for society. Alternate means of preventing crime are irrelevant to the function of prisons, which deal with those who have already committed a crime.

D. Voluntary community service performed by members of the public can greatly influence the social standard of an area.

Incorrect.

This answer choice neither weakens nor strengthens the conclusion as it does nothing to help us undermine the claim that privatized prisons are good for society. Alternate means of preventing crime are irrelevant to the function of prisons, which deal with those who have already committed a crime.

E. Prisons are extremely expensive to build, and even more so to run.

Incorrect.

This answer choice neither weakens nor strengthens the conclusion because this it is a general statement that includes both kinds of prisons (government and private) - it cannot help us undermine the claim that private prisons are good for society. It can even be claimed that this answer choice promotes allowing privatized prisons as the high costs will be paid for by entrepreneurs and not the tax-payer.

As the population increases, so does the number of criminals, and with

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As the population increases, so does the number of criminals, and with

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