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evaluate the argument’s conclusion

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by armaan700+ » Wed Feb 03, 2010 10:07 pm
The Civil Service Act of 1883, also known as the Pendleton Act, which created a professional corps of administrators, was passed after a disappointed office-seeker assassinated President James A. Garfield. For a hundred years, this system has anchored American government service to competence rather than corruption. The best way to preserve this state in the new millennium is to maintain the Pendleton Act as it is.

Which of the following would be most useful to evaluate the argument's conclusion?
a) The methods that the Swiss and British governments have used to prevent corruption in government service for the
past one hundred years
b) The current level of job satisfaction among government office-seekers and office-holders
c) The levels of competence and corruption in American government service between 1950 and the present
d) The number of Presidents assassinated since the passage of the Pendleton Act
e) The percentage of office-holders fired or convicted on charges stemming from corruption
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Source: — Critical Reasoning |

by thephoenix » Wed Feb 03, 2010 10:41 pm
a) irrelevant
b) irrelevant
c) data for corruption until present provides good measure, which is what would 'preserve this state in the new millennium
d) president assassination was a trigger but not the main reason for this act, its to stop corruption
e) we know that for the first 100 years the system 'anchored american government to competence rather than corruption'

so to preserve what is already known in the first 100 years, we need to know what happened after those 100 years, which is data between 1950 and present (c)
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by komal » Mon Feb 15, 2010 11:37 am
armaan700+ wrote:The Civil Service Act of 1883, also known as the Pendleton Act, which created a professional corps of administrators, was passed after a disappointed office-seeker assassinated President James A. Garfield. For a hundred years, this system has anchored American government service to competence rather than corruption. The best way to preserve this state in the new millennium is to maintain the Pendleton Act as it is.

Which of the following would be most useful to evaluate the argument's conclusion?
a) The methods that the Swiss and British governments have used to prevent corruption in government service for the
past one hundred years
b) The current level of job satisfaction among government office-seekers and office-holders
c) The levels of competence and corruption in American government service between 1950 and the present
d) The number of Presidents assassinated since the passage of the Pendleton Act
e) The percentage of office-holders fired or convicted on charges stemming from corruption
Options A,B and D can be eliminated as they are not at all strong points to evaluate the conclusion. The system has best served for competence rather than corruption. There could be some other law which could have served best for eradicating corruption. Option E talks about percentage. Hence eliminated.

(C) wins
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