Strenthening : Economists

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Strenthening : Economists

by saranshpuri » Sun Mar 16, 2014 6:11 am
A recent survey shows that the use of public libraries has dwindled to 19% of what it was 30 years ago. The digital age has lead to huge amounts of information being placed at the fingertips of people while they sit in their own homes. Because libraries serve an important function, their services should not be ceased.

Which of the following, if true, most strengthens the author's conclusion?

The libraries that existed 30 years ago acted as important meeting places for intellectuals and public figures.
Sources of information, whether digital or hard copy, should always be verified for accuracy.
Digital versions of many books are being created that can be bought via stores on the internet.
In some areas, due to a lack of competition between service providers, Internet prices are extremely high.
Libraries demand funding which is partly provided by taxes paid by the public.

Answer : D Needs Explanation
Source: — Critical Reasoning |

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by Bill@VeritasPrep » Mon Mar 17, 2014 9:39 am
Premise 1: library use today is 19% of library use 30 years ago. A pretty dramatic drop.

Premise 2: the digital age means that huge amounts of info are available to people at home.

Conclusion: libraries are important, so their services should not be ceased.

Right now, we don't have a very good argument. The two premises seem to point to the idea that libraries are, in fact, NOT that important anymore, so we need a reason that would show their importance.

A--how does this matter to libraries today?
B--true, but that does not tell us why libraries are important today
C--this would be another reason that libraries are less important today and would weaken the conclusion
D--good. The information may be available on the Internet, but if you can't afford Internet service, you can't access it. Thus, libraries would still be important for segments of the population.
E--nothing to do with importance.
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