A local marsh would need to be drained before the proposed office complex could be built. Such marshes often play cru...

Victoria on July 5, 2019

Hi @hpw,

This is a principle question as well as a parallel reasoning question. We are looking for the answer choice with the underlying principle that is most similar to the underlying principle used in the passage.

Let's start by going through the stimulus and determining the underlying principle.

"A local marsh would need to be drained before the proposed office complex could be built." However, such marshes often have an important role to play in purifying groundwater and no scientific assessment of this marsh's role in purifying the city's well water has been conducted. Therefore, the passage argues that "the city should therefore block the proposed office complex pending such an assessment."

The principle underlying this argument is: in the face of uncertainty, we should halt action until the situation has been properly assessed.

A is close to being correct. However, it is arguing that the proposal for a highway should be rejected because the environmental impact assessment would be too expensive, not because the environmental impact assessment has not been conducted.

C is incorrect because there is no action to be halted. The assessment period is underway however, due to a delay, C is recommending that the report should not be released yet. Therefore, the action is simply being delayed to allow for the completion of an ongoing process.

D is incorrect because it is guided by the principle that, even if there are potential consequences in the present, a project with guaranteed future benefits should be implemented.

Finally, B is correct as it is guided by the same principle as the stimulus:

In the face of uncertainty, ("Yova Corporation's new line of appliances has not yet been thoroughly tested for defects") we should halt action ("Yova should not bring its new line to market at this time) until the situation has been properly assessed.

The outcomes of failing to assess the situation are different, but the principles underlying B and the stimulus are the same, making answer choice B the correct answer.

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