PrepTest 142, Section 1, Question 20
If the city builds the proposed convention center,(49 more words not shown)
The conclusion of the argument(10 more words not shown)
- AIf the number(16 more words not shown)
- BIf the number(16 more words not shown)
- CThe city's tax(10 more words not shown)
- DPeople who are(19 more words not shown)
- EIf several national(14 more words not shown)
Reading the argument
A national organization doesn't necessarily hold a large convention.
Imagine a convention for LSAT teachers versus one for teachers across every subject. The first could be quite small even with members coming from across the country. 'National' describes reach; it doesn't tell us how many people will attend.
That's where the argument's chain breaks. Building the center guarantees conventions from national professional organizations. The next rule promises more visitors if there are several large conventions. We haven't established the size needed to activate that rule. Once visitors increase, the final rule gives us higher tax revenue.
What we’re looking for
To make the conclusion follow, connect those first two descriptions: the conventions these organizations hold will be large. Then the rest of the chain can carry us from building the center to more visitors to more tax revenue.
Working the answers
- A
This tells us what happens if visitors don't increase. It doesn't establish that building the center will increase visitors in the first place. We still don't know whether the promised conventions meet the size condition.
- B
The argument already gives a direct connection from more visitors to more tax revenue. We don't need an extra statement about their spending to complete that part. The unresolved question is whether the new center produces the visitor increase, and B doesn't address the conventions' size.
- C
This makes building the center a requirement for increased tax revenue. The argument needs building it to guarantee that increase. A project could be required for an outcome without being enough to produce it by itself. C doesn't fill the missing step about large conventions.
- D
Keeping existing visitors doesn't establish an increase in the total. The same people could keep coming while the convention center failed to add enough new visitors to change the total. D doesn't tell us that several large conventions will be held.
- ECorrect
The national professional organizations' conventions will be large. Build the center, and several such organizations will hold conventions there; with E, those are several large conventions. The next stated rule increases the number of visitors, and the final rule increases tax revenue. E supplies the missing link so every step now connects.
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