Q6 - Over the last five years

[tzyc]

Is (C) correct because it shows an example of what the argument says?
What does "made it a point to" mean?
I checked the dictionary but still not sure...

Thank you

[ManhattanPrepLSAT1]

This is another classic correlation/causation question in the Strengthen question type. The argument begins by establishing a correlation between the curtailed funding for alternative energy initiatives and the opposition to this funding by large corporations. It goes on to conclude that the opposition from large corporations is responsible for the curtailed funding.

Answer choice (C) strengthens the argument by ruling out the possibility that the effect was present (curtailed funding) while the cause was not (opposition from corporations). If the funding had been curtailed on initiatives other than those that had been opposed by large corporations, that would have thrown up a red flag. Maybe something else was responsible for the curtailed funding!

Incorrect Answers
(A) is irrelevant. This goes too far back into the past--2 decades!
(B) explains how the change occurred, but not why!
(D) might actually weaken the argument that the government was influenced by large corporations.
(E) is irrelevant, since we don't know what forms of research they have discouraged.