Lesson 6 HW RC Passage #5 Question #22

[Perry6921]

I chose answer choice D. I felt that C was too passive/neutral as a reason to end something that was in effect. Had it said that it would would "decrease their opportunities" instead of "would not enhance their opportunities" it would strengthen the author's view of politicians. Why would "not enhancing" make them actively end enrollment, they could have kept it as is.
answer D on the other hand seemed to provide reasoning why they actually had to actively end enrollment (for nothing else but to serve their own agenda).

Please explain what I am missing.

Thanks!

[Luke Haqq]

Hi Perry6921!

As I understand (C), what it is doing is strengthening the view that politicians are motivated to grow their own bureaucracies because doing so "provides increased opportunity for [i.e., "enhances"] the exercise of political patronage" (lines 50-51). (C) is saying that these politicians believed ending allotment would not enhance their political patronage opportunities. That would be a reason for the end of allotment--for politicians would not be motivated to continue it without patronage. Additionally, the reason given in (C) also functions to reinforce the view of the author about politicians, which is what makes it the right answer.

Answer (D) would not reinforce the author's view about politicians. The author's view about politicians starts around line 43, with that paragraph discussing that the author believes politicians have reason to grow their agencies as big as possible. So they're not likely to think their staff or budgets would ever grow to be "too large." Indeed, (D) would seem to contradict/weaken the author's view about politicians always acting to grow their staff and budgets.