og-104

104.

Spending on research and development by United States businesses for 1984 showed an increase of about 8 percent over the 1983 level. This increase actually continued a downward trend evident since 1981 – when outlays for research and development increased 16.4 percent over 1980 spending. Clearly, the 25 percent tax credit enacted by Congress in 1981, which was intended to promote spending on research and development, did little or nothing to stimulate such spending.

The conclusion of the argument above cannot be true unless which of the following is true?

(A) Business spending on research and development is usually directly proportional to business profits.

(B) Business spending for research and development in 1985 could not increase by more than 8.3%.

(C) Had the 1981 tax credit been set higher than 25%, business spending for research and development after 1981 would have increased more than it did.

(D) In the absence of the 25% tax credit, business spending for research and development after 1981 would not have been substantially lower than it was.

(E) Tax credits market for specific investments are rarely effective in inducing businesses to make those investments.

个人根据问题部分cannot be true ..., unless的提法，认为就是要选题干中argument的assumption，此观点首先不知对否？如果可以这样理解，B可不可以认为是个assumption呢？因为对B取非的话，即1985 more than 8.3%，则势必说明downward的趋势不必然，argument不成立，则B为assumption。请指教。

另外，因为解题时以为题干中tax credit did little or nothing，所以认为D中的absence of tax credit应该不会有影响，而非D中的 would not have been substantially lower than it was.实在是不太理解这里的did little or nothing为什么导致tax credit的有无造成business spending的变化呢?

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http://forum.chasedream.com/dispbbs.asp?BoardID=24&ID=9595

http://forum.chasedream.com/dispbbs.asp?BoardID=24&ID=9324

http://forum.chasedream.com/dispbbs.asp?BoardID=24&ID=17624

http://forum.chasedream.com/dispbbs.asp?BoardID=24&ID=26743

http://forum.chasedream.com/dispbbs.asp?BoardID=24&ID=27347

看看这些连接，OG提问连接里前人的提问。或许会有帮助。