Economist: To the extent that homelessness arises from a lack of available housing, it should not be assumed that th...

Ambria May 18, 2021

Tricky D

Hi! So, I was stuck between A and D. While I understand why A is the answer, I'm a little confused on why D isn't. Perhaps, I'm getting caught up in the way the answer choice is phrased. I didn't read it as it being the conclusion itself, but that it was an argument for the conclusion. Correct me if I'm wrong. I see the conclusion as: "it is unrealistic to expect investors to take risks with their property unless they get some benefit in return." The question stem asks: "To the extent that homelessness arises from a lack of available housing, it should not be assumed that the profit motive is at fault." While the question stem doesn't directly discuss the conclusion, it explains that the profit motive isn't at fault. Couldn't that be considered as a support, or "make room" for the conclusion? What am I missing?

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JessieH August 24, 2022

I am also wondering why D is wrong. I am also wondering why this question hasn't been answered in over a year if we're all paying for this class.

Emil-Kunkin September 1, 2022

Hi JesseH,

I think the conclusion is actually the second half of the first sentence- the rest of the passage is showing us that the profit motive is not at fault. The first half of the first sentence (the part we care about) tells us that the profit motive is not responsible for the problems caused by lack of housing supply. While there may be other causes of homelessness, this argument is only concerned with supply.

So, the part we care about is not the conclusion.