Logic Breakdown

Passage Summary: A reporter promised to keep a secret unless the news was fake or a boss/judge told her to talk; because the news is about safety, she's definitely going to talk.

Conclusion: The journalist will certainly disclose the informant's identity regardless of whether the information provided is accurate.

Reasoning: The journalist will reveal the identity if ordered by a judge or editor, and the information in question involves safety violations at a power plant.

Analysis: The argument makes a massive leap from the 'subject matter' of the information to the 'certainty' of a disclosure order. To make this conclusion logically airtight, we need a premise that guarantees an order will be issued. Specifically, we need to assume that if information involves safety violations, a judge or editor will inevitably order the journalist to reveal the source. Look for an answer that creates this 'Sufficient' link between the topic of safety and the necessity of the disclosure order.

Passage Stimulus

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9.

The conclusion of the argument follows logically if which one of the following is assumed?

Correct Answer
C
If information about power-plant safety guarantees a judge’s order to disclose, then the override clause triggers, and she will reveal the identity even if the information is accurate. This directly bridges the missing link needed for the conclusion to follow.
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