Studies have shown that an automobile that runs on a blend of 85% ethanol/15% gasoline gets better mileage than an otherwise similar car equipped with a gasoline engine. Many American legislators have concluded that an increase in tax incentives for ethanol production would lessen our dependence on foreign oil.

Which of the following, if true, casts the most doubt upon the validity of the legislators` conclusion?

Bottom trawling is a type of deep-sea fishing that involves dragging a large net along the bottom of the ocean, and it results in catching and killing many unintended species, some of which are endangered. Environmental advocates, concerned for these endangered marine species, have recommended that commercial fishers use a new set of nets, each designed specifically for the size and shape and pheromones (chemical attractors) of an individual marine species targeted by the commercial fishers. Environmentalists hope use of these new nets will protect the endangered marine species without interrupting commercial deep-sea fishing. Which of the following, if true, most strongly supports the claim that the use of the new nets will have the intended effects?

Accidents involving drivers who do not wear seatbelts have been shown to cause higher rates of serious injury than accidents involving drivers who do wear seatbelts. Because drivers who do not wear seatbelts can end up costing taxpayers money in medical bills, Thoracic County should make it illegal to drive without a seatbelt.Which of the following, if true, provides the most support for the argument above?

The city of Carina is considering implementing an Alternative Minimum Tax (AMT) for taxpayers earning more than 90% of the population, those individuals who earn more than $350,000 annually. Under this tax plan, Carina citizens in the AMT bracket would be exempt from paying taxes on the first $80,000 of their income and be taxed at a flat rate on the income thereafter. People paying the AMT would not be given allowances regular taxpayers are, such as deductions for children, healthcare expenses, or college tuition.Which of the following would be most important to determine in order to evaluate whether implementing the AMT plan would be profitable for the city of Carina?

Burr Incorporated spends approximately 20% of its budget on employee benefits. In an effort to curb costs, Human Resources has decided to run a pilot program with volunteer employees, in which volunteers received a 5% raise in pay for a 25% reduction in benefits. During the first year of the pilot program, the volunteers` productivity matched or exceeded their previous performance. Burr Inc. has concluded that implementing the pilot program company-wide will not only save Burr money, but also increase productivity.Which of the following, if true, would provide the strongest justification for Burr Inc. not to implement the pilot program company-wide?

Art historian: Successful forgeries tend to be those most recently painted. While such a phenomenon may sound counterintuitive, a forger is able to exploit current modes of aesthetics to create paintings that appeal to the eye of his or her contemporaries. This very quality, however, is what makes those paintings seem amateurish to subsequent generations. As a result, a majority of forgeries are identified as such roughly twenty-five years after their creation. Which of the following is an assumption upon which the argument rests?

Judge Brown has shown a marked preference over the past decade for sentencing criminals to make amends for their crimes-for example, by apologizing to the victim-rather than sending them to jail. He argues that the rate of recidivism, or the likelihood that the criminal will commit another offense, is only 15% when he does so, while the average rate of recidivism in the country as a whole is above 35%. Judge Brown thus argues that the criminal justice system is most effective when criminals make amends for their crime, rather than serving time. Which of the following, if true, most strongly supports Judge Brown's claim?

Archeologists have discovered three sites showing conclusive evidence for the mastery of fire in Tanzania, from a period slightly after the time that Homo habilis was present in Africa. These sites clearly were founded by Homo erectus, the descendent species of Homo habilis that migrated north, out of Africa and into Asia. Homo erectus was known to have mastered fire, from ample evidence at sites in Asia. There is no reason to attribute mastery of fire to Homo ergaster, the descendent species of Homo habilis that remained in Africa. Which of the following is an assumption on which the argument depends?

Five years ago, the town of Bayside, in the Katonic River Valley, had catastrophic flooding one spring, and consequently, most insurers now refuse to write flood insurance for houses in Bayside. The town of Dryadia, in the Phemptic River Valley, is much like Bayside in its proximity to a similar river at an almost identical point in the river valley. We can conclude that the only reason the same insurers do not write flood insurance for houses in Dryadia either is its similarity to Bayside in terms of where it is situated in the river valley. Which of the following, if true, would most seriously undermine the argument?

Last June, Endsville installed highway traffic cameras, in the hope that drivers along the highways would reduce their speeds. This June, the number of motorists caught speeding by the traffic cameras is nearly twice that caught last June.All of the following, if true, can help account for the increase in motorists caught speeding by traffic cameras EXCEPT?

Hatfield Airport, the closest airport to the city of Hatfield, has recently opened a new terminal for AirJet International, a popular low-cost airline. Since the terminal has opened, Hatfield Airport has welcomed significantly more customers, to the extent that airline staff members have complained that they can no longer serve their customers efficiently. If AirJet International were to move their major terminal to the more remote Chesterfield Airport, the staff argues, the customers of both AirJet and the airlines based at Hatfield Airport would be happier.Which of the following is an assumption that supports drawing the conclusion above from the reasons given for that conclusion?

The First Amendment prevents the government from violating a person's right to free speech. But it does not protect government employees from disciplinary action for all statements they make in the course of their official duties. However, laws should protect them in cases in which employees bring to light information that advances the public interest in honest government and the rule of law.

Which of the following would provide the best example for the argument above?

Child development specialists have observed that adolescents who receive large weekly allowances tend to spend money on items considered frivolous by their parents whereas adolescents who receive small weekly allowances do not. Thus, in order to ensure that their children do not spend money on frivolous items, parents should not give their children large weekly allowances.

Which of the following pieces of information would be most useful in evaluating the validity of the conclusion above?

State X recently decided to cut state funding for the public library system in County X. To help counteract this cut in funding, the county library system has increased library late fees from $.10 per day to $.12 per day. Since the fee increase, library administrators have seen no decline in the number of overdue books. The director of the county library system concludes that the fee hike has helped to counteract the cut in state funding.

Which of the following statements, if true, most strengthens the director's claim?

Scientists have discovered a new species of butterfly that lives only in a small region of Central America and is active only at night. During the day, it rests in treetops, where its green color matches the foliage perfectly. Therefore, the scientists must have discovered the butterfly at night.

The argument depends on which of the following assumptions?