Senator Strongwood reported that, contrary to a study cited by the administration, a thorough study by his own party ...
Julie-VJuly 24, 2019
(A) and (C)
Hi LSAT Max,
I chose (B) as my answer, but I wasn't too confident when I initially chose it. I see why (D) and (E) can be eliminated, but I was wondering if you can also clear the air as to why (A) and (C) can be eliminated as well.
My logic for (A) was that the STUDY concludes that a DECREASE in capital gains tax would increase the federal deficit, but the answer choice says that HE implies an INCREASE in capital gains would decrease the fed. deficit, which is why (A) can be eliminated. For (C), his reference to common sense is from the study his party conducted and not directed at any person, hence why it would be the wrong answer. If anyone could double check to make sure I was going in the right direction for eliminating these choices, I would greatly appreciate it! Thank you in advance!
Reply
Create a free account to read and
take part in forum discussions.
Let's briefly look at the structure of the argument.
A study by SS's party concluded that a reduction in the capital gains tax would lead to an increase in the federal deficit contrary to a study cited by the administration.
When you cut taxes you lose revenue.
Therefore, the plan to reduce the capital gains tax is dead, because no senator would vote to increase deficit.
What does SS do to advance the argument?
Let's look at (A) & (C)
(A) is wrong because he never implies that, he argues that reducing the tax leads to an increase in deficit but we cannot logically conclude that the opposite is also true;
(C) is wrong because there is no name calling. He never says that his opponents lack common sense, merely that the conclusion of his own party's report is "common sense." This choice is similar to (A) in a way because it wants us to conclude that his endorsement of his party's report as "common sense" means his opponents lack one, this is simply inaccurate.
