Someone please help:
The economy is doing badly. First, the real estate slump has been with us for some time. Second, car sales are at their lowest in ears. Of course, had either one or the other phenomenon failed to occur, this would be consistent with the economy as a whole being healthy. But, their occurrence together makes it quite probable that my conclusion is correct.
Which one of he following inferences is most strongly supported by the information above?
A) If car sales are at their lowest in years, then it is likely that the economy is doing badly.
B) If the economy is doing badly, then either the real estate market or the sales market is not healthy.
C) If the real estate market is healthy, then it is likely that the economy as a whole is healthy.
D) If the economy is in a healthy state, then it is unlikely that the real estate and car sales markets are both in a slump.
E) The bad condition of the economy implies that both the real estate and the car sales markets are doing badly.
I diagram this as follows:
Conclusion: The economy is doing badly
~Real Estate Slump or ~Car Sales Lowest ---> Economy Healthy
~Economy Healthy ---> Real Estate Slump and Car Sales Lowest
BUT, then I also diagram the final sentence as:
Real Estate Slump and Car Sales Lowest ---> ~Economy Healthy
Economy Healthy ---> ~Real Estate Slump or Car Sales Lowest
Am I diagramming this properly? Based on this, C), D), and E) are all fine. I'm not sure what the answer is as I left the key at home, but it's from October 2004.