In the year following an eight-cent increase in the federal tax on a pack of cigarettes, sales of cigarettes fell ten percent. In contrast, in the year prior to the tax increase, sales had fallen one percent. The volume of cigarette sales is therefore strongly related to the after-tax price of a pack of cigarettes.

Which of the following, if true, would most strengthen the argument above?


During the second year after the tax increase, cigarette sales increased by a significant amount.

The information available to consumers on the health risks of smoking remained largely unchanged in the period before and after the tax increase.

Most consumers were unaware that the tax on cigarettes was going to increase.

During the year following the cigarette tax increase, many consumers had less income, in inflation-adjusted dollars, than they had had in the previous year.

During the year after the tax increase, there was a greater variety of cigarettes on the market than there had been during the previous year.

考题讲解

情景:在香烟税上涨8分钱的那一年,香烟的销量下降了10%.在这个税上涨以前,销量仅仅下降了1%。因此,是税导致销量下降。

推理:在前提中可以发现象征着时间关联的句子,即,In the year following an eight-cent increase in the federal tax on a pack of cigarettes, sales of cigarettes fell ten percent.  In contrast, in the year prior to the tax increase, sales had fallen one percent.,结论中两者是因果关系
前提:an eight-cent increase in the federal tax和sales of cigarettes fell之间存在正相关关系
结论:The volume of cigarette sales is therefore strongly related to the after-tax price of a pack of cigarettes

选题方式:相关因果推理有四个评估方向,简而言之,即,答案选项要么同时提及an eight-cent increase in the federal tax和sales of cigarettes fell,要么给sales of cigarettes fell另外一个原因。

选项分析:

A选项:在税上涨后的第二年,销量上升了很多。本选项既提到了因又提到了果,是典型“CQ1相关性存在问题”的选项,即,保持因不变,果可以发生变化。但是本题问的是加强类型,本选项为削弱方向,所以不是答案。

B选项:Correct. 在税上涨前后上涨后,公众对于吸烟有害健康这件事情的认识没有变化。显然地,如果公众更多的认识到了吸烟有害,那么很可能会影响大家的购买决策,即,影响总体销量。其给出了另外一个原因去解释现有的果。如果没变,则排除了一个第三因素(所谓的他因)。本选项属于(CQ4:独立第三因素问题)。

C选项:大部分的顾客在过去并没有意识到税会上涨。本选项需要注意时态was going to,其意思是顾客没有想到税会涨,也就是说,香烟的价格突然就涨了。假设你是买香烟的人,本来你家里还有两盒烟,前几天刚好路过便利店,想想还有烟呢,就暂时没有买。今天,烟快没了,你打算去买烟,突然发现前几天还卖15元的烟,今天已经卖25元了。这种“shock”很有可能导致你今天暂时放弃买。但是长久来讲,一旦忍不住烟瘾,该买还是得买。所以这个选项给出了一个CQ4独立第三因素问题,即,“shock”可能导致销量的下降。给出了另外一个原因去解释现有的果。不过是一个削弱选项,原题问的是加强,所以不是答案。

D选项:
在香烟税涨的那年,许多顾客的收入由于通货膨胀的原因下降了。顾客的收入变少,很可能导致买香烟的数量变少,所以本选项给出了另外一个原因(收入少了)去解释现有的果。属于CQ4独立第三因素问题,可以削弱原文。但是由于本题问的是加强,所以本选项不是答案。

E选项:
在税涨后的那一年,香烟的种类比以前要多了。香烟的种类本身和销量没有直接的解释关系,所以本选项不能评估整个推理。

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