Logical reasoning PrepTest 118 · Section 1 · Question 25

Incorrect. If anything, this answer provides a way for cities to mitigate a loss of services by focusing away from inessential ones, potentially preventing a disaster.

Incorrect. Without connecting these new ideas to a bigger drain on city resources, this answer doesn't affect the argument.

Incorrect. The argument is about small cities, so what can happen in large cities is out of scope.

Incorrect. Why the new residents move is out of scope to the drain on resources they present once there.

Correct. Argument or Facts:
Argument

Valid or Flawed:
Flawed

Question Type:
Strengthen

Stimulus Summary:
The employee:resident ratio in a small city should be at worst 1:100. Most cities don't have the money for immediate hiring. Therefore, rapid population growth can cause a disaster in a small city.

Answer Anticipation:
The argument brings up a potential change—a rapid influx of new residents. It talks about one change that comes with those individuals—a larger drain on resources. However, it doesn't discuss other potential changes that could mitigate that issue—namely, they might bring more revenue with them that could grow the budget to allow for the hiring of new employees. Changes bring about other changes, and so the correct answer here should strengthen the argument by ruling out another change that would prevent the predicted disaster.

Answer Explanation:
This answer rules out one possible way the small city might be able to make up the budget shortfall and hire new people. If the new residents don't bring new revenue with them immediately, then the city won't be able to hire new workers and disaster may very well ensue.

Key Takeaway:
When an argument brings up a change and then predicts disaster, think about other things that may happen along with that change that would prevent the prediction from coming true. In this case, the argument spoke about a change in population as increasing the drain on resources, but it didn't address a potential increase in resources themselves (e.g., from tax revenue).