Question

The Elk City garbage dumps are so full that Elk City has been forced to pay a large sum to Caribou City to accept much of Elk City’s garbage. The Elk City mayor has proposed paying for this garbage relocation by imposing a tax on manufacturing businesses in Elk City. MegaCorp, the largest manufacturing business in the area, protests that this tax is unfair because businesses should not have to pay for a garbage problem that has been created by homeowners. Which of the following, if true, most weakens MegaCorp’s argument?

• A. MegaCorp already pays more than $10,000 per year in taxes and fees to Elk City.
• B. MegaCorp employs more than 60 percent of the employed residents of Elk City.
• C. A recycling program would address the garbage problem more effectively by reducing the overall quantity of waste.
• D. MegaCorp’s manufacturing processes produce more than 90 percent of the total waste that goes into Elk City’s garbage dumps.
• E. Caribou City is happy to receive the extra garbage because the fees it collects from Elk City have helped to address a shortfall in education funding.

Hint:

Look for evidence that directly links the argument to the specific issue being debated—in this case, responsibility for the garbage problem.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is D

Step 1: Understand the argument.
MegaCorp argues that businesses should not have to pay for a garbage problem created by homeowners. To weaken this argument, we need evidence that directly ties the problem to the businesses, especially MegaCorp.
Step 2: Analyze the answer choices.
- (A) While MegaCorp pays taxes, this does not address the fairness of the proposed tax on businesses to resolve the garbage problem.
- (B) The number of people employed by MegaCorp is irrelevant to the argument about whether businesses should pay for the garbage issue.
- (C) A recycling program is a potential solution but does not directly weaken MegaCorp’s argument about the tax burden on businesses.
- (D) This option directly links MegaCorp’s manufacturing processes to the majority of the waste problem, weakening MegaCorp’s argument that businesses should not bear responsibility.
- (E) Caribou City’s willingness to accept the garbage does not address the fairness of taxing businesses in Elk City.
Conclusion:
Option (D) is the strongest because it shows that MegaCorp is directly responsible for the majority of the waste, thus weakening their argument against the tax.