Q8 - Quotas on automobile imports to the United States

[QIAOH648]

I chose E, but I did not understand this question stem.

Would you please analyze the core argument?

Thank you very much.

[smiller]

Apologies for our slow response. A few questions slipped by us recently.

This is a Procedure question. Alice's statement contains an argument. The correct answer will describe how David responds to Alice's argument.

Here's Alice's argument:

Premise: Without quotas on automobile imports, domestic producers would have to compete directly with Japanese manufacturers.
Premise: This would force domestic manufacturers to produce better cars.
Intermediate Conclusion: This would be good for consumers.
Conclusion: The quotas should be eliminated.

There are some potential gaps in Alice's logic. Forcing domestic manufacturers to increase the quality of their cars might not be good for consumers. What if this causes domestic manufacturers to drastically raise prices? What if this forces domestic manufacturers out of business, creating less competition in the market as a whole? And even if eliminating quotas would be good for consumers, there might still be reasons to keep them in place.

Alice might be correct, but we could challenge her argument by pointing out any of these potential gaps in her logic.

Alas, David does not pounce on any of the potential flaws in Alice's argument. He simply says, "yeah, but other countries have quotas. We should, too." This does nothing to address the reasoning that Alice uses as the basis for her argument. Answer choice (E) points out this problem with David's response.