Question Type:
ID the Conclusion
Stimulus Breakdown:
Conclusion: It would've been better to buy a tree last summer rather than this summer.
Evidence: This summer's tree is struggling to survive the drought. Had we bought one last year, it would've stood a better chance against the drought because its roots would've been better established.
Answer Anticipation:
The two main patterns for "Where is the Conclusion" on ID the Conclusion questions are
1. Attached to a "but/yet/however" rebuttal claim
and
2. First sentence
Here, we see we are front loaded with an opinion, and once the author proceeds to start supporting that opinion, we can confirm our suspicion that the first sentence was the conclusion.
Correct Answer:
A
Answer Choice Analysis:
(A) Yes, first sentence.
(B) Premise
(C) Premise
(D) Premise
(E) Premise
Takeaway/Pattern: These are the questions in LR where we should be banking some time. It's possible to do this problem in about 30 secs, if you know what you're looking for and what you're tasked with on ID the Conclusion.
#officialexplanation