Q5 - The government has proposed

[jimmy902o]

Why is answer choice E better than B? My reasoning for B was that if the nation was only directly threatened in times of foreign attack and the passage makes no mentions of a foreign attack, the conclusion would be supported.

Also I don't feel B is "out of scope" because assumption questions require additional information to be brought into the passage. So its ok that the passage doesn't mention foreign attacks.

Please help!

[timmydoeslsat]

The core of the argument:

Government proposed government service plan for young people to perform services to correct social ills. (Gives examples of housing and education)

+

Govt. service should be compelled ---> Direct threat to nation's existence

---> Government service should not be implemented


Do you see the gap here? The author IS ASSUMING that the current social ills are not a direct threat to the nation's existence!

If you negate choice (B) you have this:

The nation's existence is not directly threatened only in times of foreign attack.

Does this destroy our conclusion of the government service not being implemented.

No!

Plus, it is not necessary for the the nation's existence to be directly threatened only in times of foreign attack.

Perhaps it is only threatened by domestic attack destroying the country from within?

Negate choice E:

None of the social ills that currently afflict the nation do not pose a direct threat to the nation's existence.

This translates to All social ills that currently afflict DO pose a direct threat!

This would destroy the conclusion.

Remember on negating answer choices that contain quantifiers, to change some to none, all to not all, and most to half or less (less than a majority).

[mjacob0511]

The government’s plan...requires young people to perform services to correct various social ills. But the government should only be compelled as a response to a direct threat to its existence, so therefore the program shouldn’t be implemented. Clear skip from national threat, that it assumes that this program isn’t directed at.

(A) Cannot correct social ills? No it just isn’t a threat to the existence.
(B) Only in foreign attack? Not necessary we just said it’s not threatened in this case, we didn’t say the ONLY time it is threatened.
(C) Doesn’t make sense because then it should be implemented.
(D) The young people believe? Who cares what they believe?
(E) Perfect. At least some of the social ills afflicting the nation, like education and housing, do not pose a direct threat to the country, and that’s why the program shouldn’t be implemented.

[rachellewrx]

Why is answer choice E better than B? My reasoning for B was that if the nation was only directly threatened in times of foreign attack and the passage makes no mentions of a foreign attack, the conclusion would be supported.

Also I don't feel B is "out of scope" because assumption questions require additional information to be brought into the passage. So its ok that the passage doesn't mention foreign attacks.

Please help!

I got this question wrong at first as well. I did choose B. But during reviews, I realized that B is more like a sufficient assumption. If foreign attack is the only threat, surely the argument holds. But in oder for the argument to be true, B does not have to be true. For example, if there was an answer choice F which says FAMINE IS THE ONLY DIRECT THREAT TO THE NATION, then F contradicts B. But if F is true, surly the argument still holds. So B is not a necessary assumption here. It's one of the many many sufficient assumptions.

E is necessary for the argument to be true. If we negate it, it becomes ALL THE SOCIL ILLS POSE A THREAT. That would destroy the argument.

Excuse my English. Non-native speaker here. Feedback is appreciated.

[abdelmalak17]

When negating answer choice E. why is it not "some of the social ills that currently afflict the nation do pose a direct threat to the nation's existence". I originally chose answer E. but chose D. because I negated answer choice E and it did not destroy the argument. Can someone explain to me the correct negation of answer choice E.? Thanks!

[tommywallach]

Because that's not a negation. It means the same thing as the original statement!

-t