Government officials and representatives

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Government officials and representatives

by siddhu161 » Fri Jan 24, 2014 9:43 pm
International Policy Adviser: People over the age of 65 are underrepresented in the government of Country X. Because the government sets the country's policy priorities and passes new laws, the underrepresentation of people over the age of 65 results in a significant lack of consideration for issues important to this age group, such as pensions, age-related welfare, and employment discrimination; only an increase in the number of government officials will solve the problem.

Which of the following best describes an assumption implicit to the international policy adviser's argument?

a. A significant increase in the size of Country X's government would be required in order to increase the representation of people over the age of 65 in the government.

b. A significant increase in the representation of people over the age of 65 in Country X's government would result in an increase in the consideration for issues affecting people in this age group.

c. A significant increase in funding toward educating the government about issues affecting people over age 65 would result in more serious consideration for issues affecting people in this age group.

d. A significant increase in funding for adult education targeted to people over age 65 would result in an increase in the number of such people in Country X's government.

e. A significant increase in the representation of people over the age of 65 in Country X's government would have to precede any increase in the number of high-ranking government officials who are over the age of 65.

Please help. All choices for me are not helping. Why should government officials be similar to that of government representatives?
Source: — Critical Reasoning |

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by bubbliiiiiiii » Tue Jan 28, 2014 12:53 am
IMO A? Will provide explanation if answer is correct.
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by theunheardmelody » Mon Feb 03, 2014 6:49 am
IMO B

Please share OA.

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by Abhishek009 » Mon Feb 03, 2014 10:05 am
+1 for [spoiler](B)[/spoiler] Plz reveal the OA along with OE...[/spoiler]
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by siddhu161 » Mon Feb 03, 2014 11:08 pm
OA B

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by siddhu161 » Mon Feb 03, 2014 11:10 pm
OA B

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by [email protected] » Tue Feb 04, 2014 1:15 am
Hi siddhu161,

This CR prompt is based on a "causal" argument: the idea that one thing will cause another.

The Facts:
-People over age 65 are underrepresented in the government in Country X.
-The government sets the Country's policies and laws, so the lack of people over the age of 65 results in a lack of consideration for the issues that are important for this group.

The Conclusion:
-ONLY an increase in the NUMBER of government officials will solve the problem.

The Logic:
The Facts point to the idea that the NUMBER of people in the government who are over the age of 65 is a big factor in whether the issues that affect people over the age of 65 are considered (when setting policies and passing laws). The argument essentially states that the lack of people over age 65 leads to a lack of consideration for that group's issues. The logic seems to be that by INCREASING the NUMBER of people over the age of 65 in the government will result in an increase in the consideration for their issues. The conclusion tells us to INCREASE the NUMBER of government officials as a way to solve this problem. So, we need NEW government officials that are over the age of 65 (as opposed to replacing current government officials with those over the age of 65).

The only answer that matches this logic is B

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