Read the passage given below and solve the questions based on it. Hindi ought…
2021
Read the passage given below and solve the questions based on it.
Hindi ought to be the official language of India. There is no reason for the government to spend money printing documents in different languages, just to cater to people who cannot read/write Hindi. The government has better ways to spend tax payers’ money. People across India should read/write Hindi or learn it at the earliest.
United Nations members contribute funds, proportionate to their population, for facilitating smooth functioning of the UN. By 2010, India, being the most populous nation on the planet, would contribute the maximum amount to the UN. Therefore, official language of United Nations should be changed to Hindi.
Which of the following is true?
- A.
The point above contradicts the speaker’s argument.
- B.
The point above extends the speaker’s argument.
- C.
The point above is similar to speaker’s argument
- D.
The point above concludes speaker’s argument.
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: B
Concept
In critical reasoning, a follow-up statement can relate to a given argument in four distinct ways. It EXTENDS the argument when it carries the same underlying reasoning further — applying the same principle to a new or wider situation. It is SIMILAR when it is a separate, parallel case that merely resembles the argument. It CONTRADICTS when it opposes or undercuts the original claim. It CONCLUDES when it states an inference the premises already logically force.
Application
The speaker's underlying principle is that one preferred language should be made the single official language and that everyone else should adapt to it — which is why the speaker says Hindi ought to be India's official language and that people across India should learn it. The UN statement keeps exactly this principle but moves it to a larger stage: since India would be the UN's largest population-based contributor, its language should become the UN's official language. The same reasoning is carried from the national arena to the international arena.
Contrast
Carrying one principle into a wider domain is not a separate look-alike case standing beside the original, so it is more than mere resemblance.
The statement supports and pushes the speaker's pro-Hindi position further rather than opposing it, so it is not a contradiction.
The premises about India's population do not logically force the UN claim — it is an extra, broader application the speaker chose to add — so it is not a necessary inference.
Result
Taking the speaker's own principle and applying it to a larger setting is exactly what it means to extend an argument.