Lost And Confused

Okay, let's break this question down. We are told that a university shouldn't have the right to patent the inventions of its faculty members. Why? Because universities act as the "guarantors of intellectual freedom," which means they should encourage the free flow of ideas and the general dissemination of knowledge. The argument also states that a university that keeps the right to patent the inventions of its faculty members will essentially suppress information about the potentially valuable discovery until the patent has been secured. By doing all these things, the university will clearly suppress information concerning the discoveries, which is not compatible with the university's obligation to promote the free flow of ideas. All the lines in the argument support the first sentence. Thus, the first sentence is the conclusion of the argument, i.e. answer choice (A). Hope that clears things up! Please let us know if you have any other questions.