Q21 - Administrator: Because revenue fell

[sujin91]

Please explain why E is incorrect? Thanks

[tommywallach]

Hey Sujin,

This is an identify the flaw question, so we start by outlining the core:

Premise 1: Two possible ways the budget can be reduced are suggested: 1 + 2.

Premise 2: Method 1 will not happen.

Conclusion: Method 2 will happen.

The flaw here is fairly straightforward. Those two options are not said to be the only options. There could be a third option.

(A) implies that the argument compares the amount of money saved by the two methods, but no such comparison is ever made.

(B) CORRECT. The argument presumes there is no Method 3.

(C) says that the argument implied that the budget needed to be cut by 15 percent, but the argument never did that. It simply said the budget needed to be cut.

(D) is way off-topic. The argument never discusses what the effect of cuts to faculty salary would be.

(E) misses the second premise, which says very straightforwardly that faculty positions cannot be eliminated. Remember, you are not allowed to question the premises in an assumption-based question. If they tell you that no faculty positions can be cut, then no faculty positions can be cut.

Hope that helps!

-t