Q3 - Editorial: The government should not fund

[mshinners]

Question Type:
Principle Conform

Stimulus Breakdown:
Judgment/Conclusion: Lottery revenue shouldn't be used to pay for health services.
Reasons/Premises:
1) Health services are necessary
2) Lotto revenue can fluctuate
3) If lotto $$$ fluctuates, then the government will have to find the cash elsewhere

Answer Anticipation:
This question type - especially when the conclusion mentions what "should" be done - generally connect the facts to that judgment. Here, the conclusion mentions lotto bucks shouldn't be used to fund health services. I expect the answer to connect one of the three things it brings up in the premises to not using the money for health services (or, if they're getting a bit tricky, to not using the money for something essential to the community).

Correct answer:
(B)

Answer choice analysis:
(A) Degree (relative)/scope. This answer choice is about spending more of their revenue on services like health services. However, it doesn't talk about the source of the funding, instead focusing on the relative amount of funding.

(B) Bingo. Rephrasing this (contrapositive), the answer becomes: If a source of revenue isn't reliable, essential services should NOT be funded by it. Lotto money fluctuates, so it's not reliable, which means essential services such as health services shouldn't be funded by it.

(C) Out of scope. The conclusion is about ruling out lotto money for "any part" of health services, and this answer choice talks about funding something "entirely" with lotto money.

(D) Premise booster. The editorialist already stated that the government's health services are essential. This answer extends that to all health services, and to the government's position (we know from the stimulus that the author views the services as essential, but that doesn't guarantee the government agrees), but it doesn't connect to the conclusion.

(E) Out of scope/opposite. This answer might serve as a way to hedge against the fluctuations, which, if anything, would make using it as a source of funding more viable.

Takeaway/Pattern:
For Principle Strengthen questions, always focus on the conclusion. The correct answer could use any premise (or a combination), but it has to get you to the conclusion. Also, if a term in the conclusion is defined as something elsewhere (here, health services being defined as essential), there's a chance the correct answer will substitute the conclusion term for the defined term.

#officialexplanation

[AbeT815]

Question Type:
Principle Support (Strengthen/Sufficient)

Stimulus Breakdown:
Judgment/Conclusion: Lottery revenue shouldn't be used to pay for health services.
Reasons/Premises:
1) Health services are necessary
2) Lotto revenue can fluctuate
3) If lotto $$$ fluctuates, then the government will have to find the cash elsewhere

Answer Anticipation:
This question type - especially when the conclusion mentions what "should" be done - generally connect the facts to that judgment. Here, the conclusion mentions lotto bucks shouldn't be used to fund health services. I expect the answer to connect one of the three things it brings up in the premises to not using the money for health services (or, if they're getting a bit tricky, to not using the money for something essential to the community).

Correct answer:
(B)

Answer choice analysis:
(A) Degree (relative)/scope. This answer choice is about spending more of their revenue on services like health services. However, it doesn't talk about the source of the funding, instead focusing on the relative amount of funding.

(B) Bingo. Rephrasing this (contrapositive), the answer becomes: If a source of revenue isn't reliable, essential services should NOT be funded by it. Lotto money fluctuates, so it's not reliable, which means essential services such as health services shouldn't be funded by it.

(C) Out of scope. The conclusion is about ruling out lotto money for "any part" of health services, and this answer choice talks about funding something "entirely" with lotto money.

(D) Premise booster. The editorialist already stated that the government's health services are essential. This answer extends that to all health services, and to the government's position (we know from the stimulus that the author views the services as essential, but that doesn't guarantee the government agrees), but it doesn't connect to the conclusion.

(E) Out of scope/opposite. This answer might serve as a way to hedge against the fluctuations, which, if anything, would make using it as a source of funding more viable.

Takeaway/Pattern:
For Principle Strengthen questions, always focus on the conclusion. The correct answer could use any premise (or a combination), but it has to get you to the conclusion. Also, if a term in the conclusion is defined as something elsewhere (here, health services being defined as essential), there's a chance the correct answer will substitute the conclusion term for the defined term.

#officialexplanation

I think you had a typo in the correct answer, B. I just fixed it.