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A farming cooperative's notice to members reads: 'Members have asked whether the cooperative should buy a harvester of its own. Such a harvester would stand idle for ten months of the year. Hiring one for the two weeks of the harvest costs a quarter of what owning one costs over its working life. Members are therefore advised against the purchase.' What role does the statement that the harvester would stand idle for ten months of the year play in the notice?

Competition practiceLogical / Critical
  • AIt is the conclusion that the notice reaches
  • BIt is an objection raised by members that the notice sets out to answer
  • CIt supports the advice given, by showing that the cost of owning would be spread over very little use
  • DIt explains why a harvester is hard to hire during the harvest

Step-by-Step Solution

Long idleness is what makes ownership poor value, and the sentence is put there to prepare the reader for the hiring figure that follows. It is therefore a supporting premise. The advice in the last sentence is the conclusion; members raised a question rather than this objection; and the notice says hiring is cheap, not that it is hard.
Answer: C) It supports the advice given, by showing that the cost of owning would be spread over very little use

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