Explanation
Reading the question: we will try evaluating this brief
argument by matching terms.
Evidence Term
Matches?
Conclusion Term
Lower
production costs and higher transportation costs
≠
Cheaper to
import
Country A, C
=
Country A, C
Cell
phones
=
Cell
phones
The key word in the conclusion is "cheaper," and we notice
it doesn't appear at all in the evidence. So the logical connection to attack
is the connection between lower production costs, higher transportation costs,
and "cheaper to import." ("Import" also is only in the conclusion.) We'll use
that expectation as our filter.
Applying the filter: (C) and (D) have the right terms.
(A), (B), and (E) all introduce new terms--labor, jobs, time--and introducing a
new term usually generates a problem. (C) and (D) are similar, but switch the
positions of the countries. We are talking about producing in Country A and
shipping to Country C. That situation is described by answer choice (C).
Logical proof: We can prove (C) with the negation test. If
the transportation fee is equal to or greater than the money saved in
production, then how could it be cheaper to produce in Country A? It couldn't
be. Therefore choice (C) is the correct answer. The correct answer is (C).
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