Critical Reasoning

Loss of the Gocha mangrove forests has caused coastal erosion, reducing fish populations and requiring the Gocha Fishing Cooperative (GFC) to partially fund dredging and new shore facilities. However, as part of its subsidiary businesses, the GFC has now invested in a program to replant significant parts of the coast with mangrove trees. Given income from a controlled harvest of wood with continuing replanting, the mangrove regeneration effort makes it more likely that the cooperative will increase its net income.

Which of the following, if true, would most strengthen the argument that mangrove replanting will increase the Gocha cooperative's net income?

A. The cost of dredging and shore facilities was shared with the local government.
B. The GFC will be able to hire local workers to assist with the mangrove replanting.
C. The GFC derives 10 percent of its revenue from salt-production facilities in an area previously cleared of mangroves.
D. Mangrove forests tend to increase the commercial fish populations in coastal fishing grounds.
E. A controlled harvesting of mangrove wood by the GFC would have little effect on coastal erosion.

D

Source: Official Guide 2020

OPTION A - INCORRECT
Sharing the cost of dredging with the local government has no way of strengthening the argument that mangrove replanting will increase the Gocha cooperative's net income.

OPTION B - INCORRECT
Hiring Men to do the replanting do not have direct connection to how it will help increase the Gocha cooperative's net income

OPTION C - INCORRECT
This option shows no interest in replanting the mangroves because it shows the extinct nature of the mangrove in that area that has been replaced with a salt production facility to which the GFC now gets revenues from.

OPTION D - CORRECT
This strengthens the argument since the reason why there was reduction in fish population is because of the loss of the Gocha Mangrove Forest which led to a coastal erosion.
However, replanting the mangrove which will prevent such erosion from occurring again and tend to increase the fish production as well as increase the net income of the GFC.

OPTION E - INCORRECT
The argument is more concerned about replanting than harvesting what hasn't been planted.