Fact: A pharmaceutical company develops a lifesaving drug but prices it so high that only wealthy patients can afford it without going into debt. The company argues that it must recoup R&D costs to continue innovation.
B Rationale: Total cases dropped 15%, but conviction rate rose 8%. Let original cases = 100, original conviction rate = 50% → 50 convictions. New cases = 85, new rate = 54% → 45.9 convictions. Absolute convictions fell (50 → 46). B is provable. A requires counterfactual. C is opinion. D is not stated (harder to win ≠ higher conviction rate). E is unsupported. utopia verbal critical reasoning test (expert)
Which of the following, if true, most seriously weakens the economist’s argument? Fact: A pharmaceutical company develops a lifesaving drug
A) The similar city had a robust public transit system, while this city’s transit is unreliable and underfunded. B) In the similar city, 40% of commuters switched to biking, which is not feasible in this city due to weather. C) The $15 charge would represent a smaller percentage of average income in this city than in the similar city. D) Traffic congestion in this city is 25% worse than in the similar city at the start of the pilot. E) Some drivers in the similar city began using alternative routes, not reducing overall city congestion. Let original cases = 100, original conviction rate