#15 - Funding opponent: Some people favor city funding for the spaying and neutering of pets at the

[Administrator]

Complete Question Explanation

Strengthen, Except. The correct answer choice is (B).

Answer choice (A):

Answer choice (B): This is the correct answer choice.

Answer choice (C):

Answer choice (D):

Answer choice (E):

[crispycrispr]

Hi, can someone clarify/explain this question?

When I first read it, I was totally confused by the opponent's argument. I understood the proponent's as saying that b/c less strays, less money needed to take care of them, so more to be used, which should be used to fund pet owners' care of animals. The opponent's rebuttal against this seemed totally weird, so I understood the opponent as attacking the premise of proponent's arg, saying that b/c no decrease in strays, no extra funding to move around. I got the right answer because I thought if anything, it would weaken the opponent's argument b/c it strengthens the proponent's. And as for (C), I understood it as meaning if the only way to decrease strays is by neutering them, then there still is no extra funding to move around b/c money still has to be used to "take care" of them.

I don't know if my understanding is just a good luck guess/wild interpretation, so please let me know!!

[yuxuan]

This question says city's funding will not help decrease the number of stray animals. I chose D bc I thought D is irrelevant. Whether pet owners believe neutering is morally wrong has nothing to do with the argument. I understand why B is right. But what's wrong with D?

[Adam Tyson]

The funding opponent is arguing that because >80% of pet owners already spay or neuter their pets, offering to do it for free will have no significant impact on the number of strays in the area. Our job is to find four answers that strengthen that argument. We need answers that add evidence to support the idea that the proposal to offer free spaying and neutering of pets won't impact the stray animal population much.

crispycrispr, answer C strengthens that argument because it means that spaying and neutering PETS won't help. You have to do it to the stray animals themselves, not the pets (which are by definition NOT strays).

The reason answer D strengthens the argument, yuxuan, is that any pet owners who are not already spaying and neutering their pets will not do so even if it's free. The program will do nothing to increase the number of spayed and neutered animals because the people who don't do it currently won't change their minds just because of the cost! Their decision is apparently not based on cost at all, but on moral considerations.

[sofisofi]

Hi I'm having trouble understanding why B is the right answer.
Thanks!

[Adam Tyson]

See my explanation in this thread regarding answers C and D, sofisofi! B is the right answer because it is the only one that does not strengthen the argument, and is therefore the exception we are looking for.

A and E both strengthen the argument for the same reason as C does, by showing that spaying and neutering pets will have little to no effect on the number of strays. If you want to reduce the number of stray animals you have to spay and neuter animals that are already strays, not the ones that are kept as pets!

[askuwheteau@protonmail.com]

Please let me know if my reasoning on this one is on-point:
This argument possesses a logical gap between neutering pets and an expectation of non-reduction in the number of the stray animal population .

A: Strengthens (shows that neutering pets won’t have an effect upon the stray animal population)

B: Doesn’t Strengthen [doesn’t fill the logical gap in showing that neutering (or not) pets would affect the stray animal population]

C: Strengthens (shows that neutering pets won’t have an effect upon the stray animal population)

D: Strengthens (shows that participation rates would be low due to moral concerns thereby not affecting the stray animal population whatsoever)

E: Strengthens (by showing that neutering-status of pets doesn’t have an effect upon the stray animal population)

[Luke Haqq]

Hi askuwheteau!

Yes, your reasoning makes sense. I'd just add that where you explain that the answer choice "shows that neutering pets won’t have an effect upon the stray animal population," I'd say that the answer choice "shows that [city funding for] neutering pets won’t have an effect upon the stray animal population." I assume that is what you meant but thought it might be worth clarifying nonetheless.