PrepTest 38, Section 2, Question 16

Difficulty:

Policy analyst: Increasing the size of a police force is only a stopgap method of crime prevention; it does not get at the root causes of crime. Therefore, city officials should not respond to rising crime rates by increasing the size of their city's police force.

Question

The flawed reasoning in which one of the following arguments most closely resembles the flawed reasoning in the policy analyst's argument?

Some people think that rules with higher standards than people can live up to, such as those enjoining total honesty, prevent some immoral behavior by giving people a guide to self-improvement. But such rules actually worsen behavior by making people cynical about rules. Thus, societies should not institute overly demanding rules.

Swamps play an important role in allaying the harsh effects of floods because they absorb a great deal of water. Although dams prevent many floods, they worsen the effects of the greatest floods by drying up swamps. Thus dams should not be built.

Although less effective in preventing theft than security guards, burglar alarm systems are more affordable to maintain. Because the greater loss from theft when alarms are used is outweighed by their lower cost, companies are advised always to use burglar alarm systems.

Because taking this drug does not cure the disease for which it is prescribed, but only reduces the disease's most harmful effects, doctors should not continue to prescribe this drug.

We will never fully understand what causes people to engage in criminal activity. Therefore, we should investigate other ways to improve society's ability to combat crime.

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