Environmental organizations want to preserve the land surrounding the
Wilgrinn Wilderness Area from residential development. They plan to do this by
purchasing that land from the farmers who own it. That plan is ill-conceived: if
the farmers did sell their land, they would sell it to the highest bidder, and developers
would outbid any other bidders. On the other hand, these farmers will never
actually sell any of the land, provided that farming it remains viable. But
farming will not remain viable if the farms are left unmodernized, and most of the
farmers lack the financial resources modernization requires. And that is exactly why
a more sensible preservation strategy would be to assist the farmers to modernize their
farms to the extent needed to maintain viability.
In the argument as a whole, the two boldface proportions play which of the following
roles?
A. The first presents a goal that the argument rejects as ill-conceived; the second
is evidence that is presented as grounds for that rejection.
B. The first presents a goal that the argument concludes cannot be attained; the
second is a reason offered in support of that conclusion.
C. The first presents a goal that the argument concludes can be attained; the
second is a judgment disputing that conclusion.
D. The first presents a goal, strategies for achieving which are being evaluated in
the argument; the second is a judgment providing a basis for the argument's
advocacy of a particular strategy.
E. The first presents a goal that the argument endorses; the second presents a
situation that the argument contends must be changed if that goal is to be met
in the foreseeable future.