Librarian: Some argue that the preservation grant we received should be used to restore our original copy of our tow...

shunhe on August 7, 2020

Hi @ankita96,

Thanks for the question! Let’s break down this argument first. There’s a librarian who says that “some” argue that a preservation grant should be used to restore the original copy of the town’s charter. Why do they believe that? Well, because if the charter isn’t restored, it’ll deteriorate beyond repair.

Then we’re told “But this document…” which indicates contrast. We’re now shifting to the librarian’s own opinion. And the librarian thinks that the document has no scholarly value, even though it’s sentimentally important. And there are copies too. The librarian then concludes that since they’re a research library and not a museum, the money should be spent preserving documents with scholarly value (and not the charter).

So the librarian introduces the arguments of “some,” and then argues against them. That’s the general structure here. So now we’re being asked for what role the claim that the town’s charter, if not restored, will soon deteriorate beyond repair plays. Well, that’s what the “some” say, and that’s the reason they think that the grant should be used to restore the original copy of the charter. In other words, this is a premise that’s used to support their conclusion, which the librarian ultimately argues against and rejects. And that’s exactly what (C) says it is, so (C) is the correct answer here.

(A), on the other hand, tells us that it’s a claim that the librarian’s argument attempts to show to be false. Does the librarian claim that this is false? That would be her saying that actually, even if we don’t restore it, it won’t deteriorate beyond repair. But she never says that, she never disputes the truth of that claim itself. She just says, “eh, there’s more important things.” And that’s why (A) is wrong

Hope this helps! Feel free to ask any other questions that you might have.

ankita96 on August 8, 2020

Oh alright yeah that makes sense!

shunhe on August 10, 2020

Awesome, glad it did!