Mayor: The financial livelihood of our downtown businesses is in jeopardy. There are few available parking spaces close to the downtown shopping area, so if we are to spur economic growth in our city, we must build a large parking ramp no more than two blocks from downtown.


Which of the following, if true, most seriously weakens the mayor's reasoning?



A) The city budget is not currently large enough to finance the construction of a new parking ramp.


B) There are other more significant reasons for the financial woes of downtown businesses in addition to a lack of nearby parking spaces.


C) Building a parking ramp as much as four blocks from downtown would be sufficient to greatly increase the number of shoppers to downtown businesses.


D) Explosive growth is most often associated with large suburban shopping malls, not small businesses.


E) Some additional parking spaces could be added to the downtown area without the construction of a parking ramp.



Let’s look at the mayor’s argument-


The financial livelihood of our downtown businesses is in jeopardy. 

There are few available parking spaces close to the downtown shopping area


Conclusion-


if we are to spur economic growth in our city, we must build a large parking ramp no more than two blocks from downtown.


We need to look for an option that weakens the mayor's reasoning.


  1. The city budget is not currently large enough to finance the construction of a new parking ramp.


The conclusion is that we must build a large parking ramp no more than two blocks from downtown. To weaken the conclusion we have to say that it is not necessary. Whether the city budget can finance the construction of the new ramp is irrelevant. Eliminate.


B) There are other more significant reasons for the financial woes of downtown businesses in addition to a lack of nearby parking spaces.


Again, the confusion is that we must build a large parking ramp. There may be other reasons for the financial woes of downtown businesses but we don’t have to be bothered about that. Option B does not attack the conclusion. Eliminate.


C) Building a parking ramp as much as four blocks from downtown would be sufficient to greatly increase the number of shoppers to downtown businesses.


Option C weakens the mayor’s plan that we must build a large parking ramp no more than two blocks from downtown. Option C says that Building a parking ramp as much as four blocks from downtown would be sufficient to greatly increase the number of shoppers to downtown businesses. Correct.


D) Explosive growth is most often associated with large suburban shopping malls, not small businesses.

Doesn’t matter. Eliminate.


E) Some additional parking spaces could be added to the downtown area without the construction of a parking ramp.

But will it sufficient to to spur economic growth in the city? The answer to this is crucial. Eliminate.