Critical Reasoning

Budget constraints have made police officials consider reassigning a considerable number of officers from traffic enforcement to work on higher-priority, serious crimes. Reducing traffic enforcement for this reason would be counterproductive, however, in light of the tendency of criminals to use cars when engaged in the commission of serious crimes. An officer stopping a car for a traffic violation can make a search that turns up evidence of serious crime.

Which of the following, if true, most strengthens the argument given?

A) An officer who stops a car containing evidence of the commission of a serious crime risks a violent confrontation, even if the vehicle was stopped only for a traffic violation.
B) When the public becomes aware that traffic enforcement has lessened, it typically becomes lax in obeying traffic rules.
C) Those willing to break the law to commit serious crimes are often in committing such crimes unwilling to observe what they regard as the lesser constraints of traffic law.
D) The offenders committing serious crimes who would be caught because of traffic violations are not the same group of individuals as those who would be caught if the arresting officers were reassigned from traffic enforcement.
E) The great majority of persons who are stopped by officers for traffic violations are not guilty of any serious crimes.

OA:C

NandishSS wrote:Budget constraints have made police officials consider reassigning a considerable number of officers from traffic enforcement to work on higher-priority, serious crimes. Reducing traffic enforcement for this reason would be counterproductive, however, in light of the tendency of criminals to use cars when engaged in the commission of serious crimes. An officer stopping a car for a traffic violation can make a search that turns up evidence of serious crime.

Which of the following, if true, most strengthens the argument given?

A) An officer who stops a car containing evidence of the commission of a serious crime risks a violent confrontation, even if the vehicle was stopped only for a traffic violation.
B) When the public becomes aware that traffic enforcement has lessened, it typically becomes lax in obeying traffic rules.
C) Those willing to break the law to commit serious crimes are often in committing such crimes unwilling to observe what they regard as the lesser constraints of traffic law.
D) The offenders committing serious crimes who would be caught because of traffic violations are not the same group of individuals as those who would be caught if the arresting officers were reassigned from traffic enforcement.
E) The great majority of persons who are stopped by officers for traffic violations are not guilty of any serious crimes.

Premise: An officer stopping a car for a traffic violation can make a search that turns up evidence of serious crime.
Conclusion: Police officials should not reassign a considerable number of officers from traffic enforcement to work on higher-priority, serious crimes.

To support the conclusion, the correct answer choice must strengthen the link between TRAFFIC VIOLATIONS and SERIOUS CRIME.
C: Those willing to break the law to commit serious crimes are often in committing such crimes unwilling to observe what they regard as the lesser constraints of traffic law.
Implication:
Serious criminals are often willing to break traffic laws, STRENGTHENING the link between traffic violations and serious crime.

The correct answer is C.

Some test-takers will be tempted by D:
The offenders committing serious crimes who would be caught because of traffic violations are not the same group of individuals as those who would be caught if the arresting officers were reassigned from traffic enforcement.
Here, if officers are reassigned to the crime unit, they will catch DIFFERENT CRIMINALS from those caught because of traffic violations.
This information could imply that the officers SHOULD be reassigned, since such reassignments would enable them to catch different criminals.
The correct answer choice must strengthen the conclusion that the officers should NOT be reassigned.
Eliminate D.