A) If overall crime rates had not fallen, conviction rates among indigent defendants would not have risen. B) The number of indigent defendants convicted has decreased over the last three years. C) The governor’s conclusion is contradicted by the chief public defender’s evidence. D) Serious cases are more likely to result in conviction than minor cases in Caledonia. E) The additional funding was primarily used for serious felony cases.
Hidden premise: Driving behavior is similar across cities. Which of the following, if true, most seriously weakens the economist’s argument? utopia verbal critical reasoning test (expert)
A) The similar city had a robust public transit system, while this city’s transit is unreliable and underfunded. B) In the similar city, 40% of commuters switched to biking, which is not feasible in this city due to weather. C) The $15 charge would represent a smaller percentage of average income in this city than in the similar city. D) Traffic congestion in this city is 25% worse than in the similar city at the start of the pilot. E) Some drivers in the similar city began using alternative routes, not reducing overall city congestion. A) If overall crime rates had not fallen,
A Rationale: The argument’s hidden assumption is that the causal mechanism (charge → less driving) transfers. A attacks the mechanism: without good transit, drivers have no alternative, so reduction may not occur. B is similar but narrower (biking only). C weakens (charge less effective) but less direct than A, which eliminates alternatives entirely. D and E are irrelevant or weaken less. Passage 4 (Principle Application) Principle: An action is morally permissible only if it does not treat another person merely as a means to an end, and it respects their capacity for rational consent. D) Serious cases are more likely to result