PrepTest 155

Incorrect. This answer weakens the argument by attacking the gap in the intermediate conclusion. If prices go up, then an increase in spending on consumer goods might not result in increased demand, as people spend more on the same amount of goods.

Incorrect. This answer weakens the argument by attacking the gap in the intermediate conclusion. If these goods are produced elsewhere, then an increase in demand wouldn't necessarily lead to more jobs in the country.

Correct. Argument or Facts:
Argument

Valid or Flawed:
Flawed

Question Type:
Bizarro Weaken

Stimulus Summary:
Higher minimum wage means more disposable income, which means more spending on consumer goods, and therefore there will be more factory jobs to make the goods. So the minimum wage will decrease unemployment.

Answer Anticipation:
There's a long chain here, but paying attention to the language can help narrow down where answers are likely to focus. There's an intermediate conclusion here ("Surely . . . ") and a main conclusion, and errors in reasoning happen between premises and conclusions.

Focusing on the intermediate conclusion, there's a jump between an increase in demand and an increase in factory jobs. Any answer that explains how the former could happen without the latter would weaken this argument.

Then, focusing on the main conclusion, there's a jump between an increase in factory jobs and a decrease in unemployment. It's possible that the non-factory jobs would decrease more than the factory jobs would increase.

Answer Explanation:
This is a tempting answer, but it ultimately doesn't impact the argument because it's too weak to do so. Most workers in many factories could still be a small minority of factory workers. Additionally, even if the wage increase would only impact 10% of workers, that still may be enough to impact the economy and demand. Since this answer doesn't affect the argument, it's the correct answer.

Key Takeaway:
For Bizarro Weaken questions, there are going to be 4 answers that weaken the argument, so make sure that you go into the answer choices recognizing that there are a lot of shortcomings in the stimulus.

Incorrect. This answer weakens the argument by attacking the gap in the main conclusion. It highlights that factory workers aren't the whole workforce, and if employers overall reduce the workforce, the conclusion that unemployment will go down is weakened.

Incorrect. This answer weakens the argument by attacking the gap in the intermediate conclusion. If there are large surpluses, and the factories are already overproducing, then an increase in demand probably won't increase the number needed to be produced, or the number of workers needed to produce them.