No, "various" could mean "some" but (D) is not the Main Point and it doesn't have to be true.
(D) states, "The federal government's expenditures for soil conservation in the various states have been inequitable." All we know from the passage is that "total federal expenditures for nationwide soil conservation programs have been less than the allocations of some individual states."
The main point of this argument is, "But one resource (topsoil) has been ignored for too long." Or stated another way, the United State government should stop ignoring the valuable natural resource of topsoil.
(E) states, "The federal government should spend much more on soil conservation than it has been spending," which is the main point of this argument.
Hope this helps! Please let us know if you have any other questions.
Madelyn-LuskeyJune 6, 2018
So would (D) be considered a premise?
ChristopherJune 11, 2018
@madelyn-Luskey, (D) doesn't factor into the argument at all. The argument says that Federal expenditures are small but says nothing about whether or not it is equitable from state to state.
cheynneleeNovember 26, 2020
Mehran I feel like you are going back and forth on this thread. First you say the main point is "but one resource..." then in another its the sentence beginning with "nonetheless" can you clearly state what the conclusion of this stimulus is
