Critical Reasoning

Each bank in the town of La Rinconada has only a single set of locking doors at its entrance. In the town of Inverness, on the other hand, the entrances to nearly all banks are equipped with two sets of locking doors, operated by a mechanism that allows only one set of doors to be open at a time. It is clear, then, that banks in Inverness experience more robbery attempts than do those in La Rinconada, and have thus adopted the extra doors as a security measure.

Which of the following, if true, most weakens the argument above?

a. Last year the number of bank robberies in La Rinconada was almost one-half greater than the corresponding figure for the previous year.
b. Inverness is known for its harsh winters, while the climate of La Rinconada is quite temperate year-round.
c. The mechanism of the double doors used by banks in Inverness allows bank security personnel to lock the doors remotely.
d. Bank robbery attempts are typically unsuccessful, and, even when the robbers do manage to escape with stolen money, the sum is usually quite small.
e. Inverness has almost twice as many police officers per capita as does La Rinconada

I=Inverness
L=La Ricnconada

a. Last year the number of bank robberies in La Rinconada was almost one-half greater than the corresponding figure for the previous year. --> Irrelevant. This does not compare I's robberies to L's.

b. Inverness is known for its harsh winters, while the climate of La Rinconada is quite temperate year-round. --> Correct. This provides an alternative explanation as to why there are double doors in banks in I and weakens the hypothesis that the double doors are instated due to high occurrence of robberies.

c. The mechanism of the double doors used by banks in Inverness allows bank security personnel to lock the doors remotely. -->Incorrect. People might be inclined to chose this answer as it very closely discussed security, which is the topic of this CR. Dig deeper. The fact that the double doors allow security to remotely lock the doors implies that a higher risk of robbery prompted the banks to install the doors in the first place. Strengthens the argument's conclusion and hence incorrect.

d. Bank robbery attempts are typically unsuccessful, and, even when the robbers do manage to escape with stolen money, the sum is usually quite small. -->Incorrect. Out of scope. Whether the bounty is small /large is not important.

e. Inverness has almost twice as many police officers per capita as does La Rinconada.-->Incorrect. This answer choice does not help us in judging in any way why the double doors were installed. So what if there are twice as many officers per capita? Maybe the officers are twice as lazy as those in I, and the banks need the double doors anyway. Or maybe the officers are very efficient in catching the robbers, which could mean that the double doors are installed for another purpose. This option does not help us n strengthening/weakening the arg and hence incorrect.

I=Inverness
L=La Ricnconada

a. Last year the number of bank robberies in La Rinconada was almost one-half greater than the corresponding figure for the previous year. --> Irrelevant. Does not provide any info about I's robberies or the need for the double doors.

b. Inverness is known for its harsh winters, while the climate of La Rinconada is quite temperate year-round. --> Correct. This provides an alternative explanation as to why there are double doors in banks in I and weakens the hypothesis that the double doors are instated due to high occurrence of robberies.

c. The mechanism of the double doors used by banks in Inverness allows bank security personnel to lock the doors remotely. -->Incorrect. People might be inclined to chose this answer as it very closely discussed security, which is the topic of this CR. Dig deeper. The fact that the double doors allow security to remotely lock the doors implies that a higher risk of robbery prompted the banks to install the doors in the first place. Strengthens the argument's conclusion and hence incorrect.

d. Bank robbery attempts are typically unsuccessful, and, even when the robbers do manage to escape with stolen money, the sum is usually quite small. -->Incorrect. Out of scope. Whether the bounty is small /large is not important.

e. Inverness has almost twice as many police officers per capita as does La Rinconada.-->Incorrect. This answer choice does not help us in judging in any way why the double doors were installed. So what if there are twice as many officers per capita? Maybe the officers are twice as lazy as those in I, and the banks need the double doors anyway. Or maybe the officers are very efficient in catching the robbers, which could mean that the double doors are installed for another purpose. This option does not help us in strengthening/weakening the arg and hence incorrect.