Critical Reasoning

The government has proposed a plan requiring young people to perform services to correct various current social ills, especially those in education and housing. Government service, however, should be compelled only in response to a direct threat to the nation’s existence. For that reason, the proposed program should not be implemented.
Which one of the following is an assumption on which the government depends?
(A) Government-required service by young people cannot correct all social ills.
(B) The nation’s existence is directly threatened only in times of foreign attack.
(C) Crises in education and housing constitute a threat to the nation’s existence.
(D) The nation’s young people believe that current social ills pose no direct threat to the nation’s existence.
(E) Some of the social ills that currently afflict the nation do not pose a direct threat to the nation’s existence.

OA is E.

Can somebody explain?

imo:E

perform services to correct various current social ills, especially those in education and housing.

Tat means there are still more social ills that are not a direct threat to the goverment..

E says this.. if there are social ills tat are still not a threat..goverment service shouldnt be compelled.

We are looking for an assumption in the argument.
The conclusion was that the plan will not be implemented because Govt can compel someone to do something only if there is a direct threat to nation's existence. So the assumption has to be that the ills mentioned above do not pose a direct threat to nations' existence.

A. The argument is not about whether all ills will be corrected or not
B. If this was a strengthen the argument this might have been an appropriate choice. There is nothing mentioned about foreign attack in the argument
C. This is definitely not the assumption. If it was the plan would have been implemented
D. The argument is not about what young people believe in or not. A lot of times these kind of options are misleading.
E. Although this option indicates some of the ills but it does mention the current ills. Some means anywhere from 1% to 100%. Therefore this is the best choice.

Gonna have to agree with bourne's explanation here.

This is my thinking process:

Conclusion: The program should not be implemented.

Statement: Government should only be compelled to start the program if the nation has a threat in existence and we don't.

Assumption: The current education and housing problems don't negatively affect the nation's existence.

Therefore the "best" answer is (E).

Is that the wrong way to think about it?

The question ask for assumption by government.
Please clarify if im wrong...

The govt wants to apply the rule... as it believes that these social evils are
threat to country...

Acc to which it should be C..

if Question asks for assumption related to conclusion.. then it
should be E..

Please help ...

nervesofsteel wrote:The question ask for assumption by government.
Please clarify if im wrong...

The govt wants to apply the rule... as it believes that these social evils are
threat to country...

Acc to which it should be C..

if Question asks for assumption related to conclusion.. then it
should be E..

Please help ...

I thought as same as u did.
Only the first line of the passage is what the government proposed . The other two lines the authors thoughts.
The last line is the conclusion given by the author and not that of the government.
So E would be the assumption of the author.

raunekk
GMAT Destroyer!


Joined: 16 Apr 2008
Posts: 488

Thanks given: 10
Thanked 19 times in 19 posts


Target GMAT Score: 740

PostPosted: Sun Aug 17, 2008 9:38 am Post subject: Reply with quote
imo:E

perform services to correct various current social ills, especially those in education and housing.

Tat means there are still more social ills that are not a direct threat to the goverment..

E says this.. if there are social ills tat are still not a threat..goverment service shouldnt be compelled.

I BELIEVE THAT THIS SHOULD BE THE REASON FOR E TO BE THE ANSWER... THE QUESTION INDEED ASKS FOR ASSUMPTION MADE BY GOVT...

Well I feel C is the answer. I guess I'm right. If some expert could throw light on the reasoning it would be a big help.