Politician: My opponents argue that the future of our city depends on compromise—that unless the city's leaders pu...

Victoria on June 17, 2019

Hi @JRO

Let's start by going through the politician's statement.

The politician begins by saying that their opponents argue that the future of the city depends on its leaders reaching a compromise i.e. putting aside their differences to work together towards common goals.

The politician then argues that the city's charter is based on definite principles and anyone who compromises these principles betrays the goals set out by the city's founders.

The politician concludes that, as their opponents are advocating for compromise, they are therefore betraying the goals set out by the city's founders.

C is the correct answer because the politician bases their argument on a misleading use of the word 'compromise' by referring to the word in two separate ways with the goal of undermining their opponents.

The politician's opponents are advocating for compromise i.e. putting aside their differences to work together.

In arguing against their opponents, the politician uses the word compromise to refer to accepting standards that are lower than desirable when discussing compromising the principles set out in the city's charter.

By suggesting that their opponents support standards that are lower than desirable, the politician is attempting to undermine their opponents' argument. In reality, the opponents support putting aside differences and working together.

Hope this is helpful! Please let us know if you have any further questions.