Critical Reasoning Practice

Critical Reasoning 12 / 52

Strengthening/Weakening (Evaluating new evidence)

Stimulus: City X, a regional hub traditionally reliant on declining manufacturing industries, is currently experiencing significant economic stagnation, evidenced by a steady outflow of its younger, skilled demographic and a shrinking municipal tax base. In response, the city council has unveiled a comprehensive urban revitalization initiative designed to attract a substantial influx of remote workers, particularly those employed in high-paying tech and creative industries based in distant, high-cost metropolitan areas. Central to this initiative are aggressive tax abatements for remote workers relocating to City X, coupled with the development of state-of-the-art, subsidized co-working infrastructure and community engagement programs. Proponents of this strategy point to City Y, a socio-economically similar city that implemented identical measures five years prior, as a compelling precedent. City Y has since reported a robust 18% increase in its non-essential local service sector employment, a 12% appreciation in residential property values, and a 9% expansion of its municipal tax receipts. The council confidently projects that by adopting a similar approach, City X can likewise expect a significant and sustainable economic resurgence, characterized by burgeoning local commerce and a substantially improved capacity to fund public amenities.

Question: Which of the following, if true, would most strengthen the council's projection that City X will experience a significant economic resurgence by attracting remote workers?

(A) The average duration of stay for remote workers who relocated to City Y was less than 18 months, with many subsequently moving to other, larger metropolitan areas for career advancement.
(B) Over 60% of the local businesses that experienced growth in City Y after the remote worker initiative were service-oriented businesses that cater specifically to a younger, technologically-savvy demographic.
(C) An independent economic analysis confirms that the primary reason remote workers chose to relocate to City Y was the combination of tax incentives and subsidized co-working spaces, factors which City X is replicating precisely.
(D) City X currently possesses a significantly higher ratio of existing vacant residential and commercial properties relative to its population size compared to City Y five years ago.

Correct Answer: C
1. Breakdown of the Argument:
Premise: City X is in economic decline and proposes a plan to attract remote workers using tax incentives, subsidized co-working, and community programs.
Premise: City Y, a socio-economically similar city, implemented identical measures five years ago and subsequently experienced significant economic improvements (18% increase in service sector employment, 12% rise in property values, 9% expansion of tax receipts).
Conclusion: By adopting similar measures, City X can expect a significant and sustainable economic resurgence, including job creation and enhanced public services.
2. Logical Analysis: The argument relies on an analogy: because City Y achieved success with a particular strategy, City X, being similar and adopting the same strategy, will also achieve similar success. The logical gap here is the assumption that the *reasons* for City Y's success are primarily attributable to the specific measures taken and that these reasons are fully transferable and replicable in City X. To strengthen the conclusion, we need evidence that affirms the causal link between the specific initiative and City Y's positive outcomes, and crucially, that the conditions for achieving such outcomes are present or replicable in City X. Option C directly addresses this by confirming that the exact initiatives City X is replicating were indeed the *primary drivers* for attracting workers to City Y, thereby making it highly probable that City X's similar efforts will yield similar results.
3. Why the other options are incorrect:
(A): This option suggests that remote workers in City Y had a short average tenure, implying that the economic benefits might not be sustainable in the long term. This information would *weaken* the council's projection of a "sustainable economic resurgence" for City X, rather than strengthening it.
(B): This option provides more detail on *how* City Y's economy grew (specific types of businesses benefited). While it supports the idea that remote workers can stimulate a local economy, it does not strengthen the crucial step in the argument that City X *will successfully attract* a sufficient number of these workers in the first place, or that the *reasons* for their relocation to City Y are applicable to City X. It describes the effect but not the cause's replicability.
(D): This option indicates that City X has ample vacant residential and commercial properties. While this might be a practical advantage for accommodating new residents, it does not strengthen the argument that remote workers will *choose to move* to City X, or that their presence *will inevitably lead to significant economic resurgence*. The availability of space is a prerequisite for accommodating growth, not a guarantee that the growth will occur or be impactful.

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