Stronger patent laws are needed to protect inventions from being pirated. With that protection, manufacturers would be encouraged to invest in the development of new products and technologies. Such investment frequently results in an increase in a manufacturer’s productivity.
Which of the following conclusions can most properly be drawn from the information above?
(A) Stronger patent laws tend to benefit
financial institutions as well as manufacturers.
Left field answer. We don’t know anything about how patent laws would benefit financial institutions.
(B) Increased productivity in manufacturing is likely to be accompanied by the
creation of more manufacturing jobs.No…increased productivity would lead us to think that fewer jobs (potentially) might be needed. Why? Efficiency is up so more is getting done given the existing human capital. So there’s no reason to think more people would be hired…in a vacuum of course.
(C) Manufacturers will
decrease investment in the development of new products and technologies unless there are stronger patent laws.
We don’t know that they will decrease investment…this choice makes the implicit assumption that the introduction of patient laws are the only reason why firms invest in the development of new products and technologies.
(D) The weakness of current patent laws has been a cause of
economic recession.Left field. No link to recessions in the passage.
(E) Stronger patent laws would stimulate improvements in productivity for many manufacturers.
Correct