Statement: “I want Multinational Companies (MNCs) out of the water business. I don’t mind them in road construction or other areas.” — says a community water activist.\nAssumptions:\nI. Water is fundamental to life, and communities should own or control it.\nII. (Repaired) MNCs are on the prowl to buy or control rivers and water sources.

Difficulty: Medium

Correct Answer: if only assumption I is implicit.

Explanation:


Introduction / Context:
The speaker singles out water as a sector from which MNCs should be excluded, while permitting their role in other infrastructure. The distinction rests on a principle about the nature of water, not necessarily on claims about specific MNC behaviors.


Given Data / Assumptions:

  • Explicit stance: No MNC participation in “water business.”
  • Tolerance for MNCs elsewhere (roads, etc.).
  • Imprecise original II was repaired per Recovery-First to express a plausible meaning.


Concept / Approach:
To justify excluding MNCs from water but not from roads, the speaker must treat water as qualitatively different: a life-critical commons to be owned/managed by communities (Assumption I). The policy preference does not require a belief that MNCs are actively attempting hostile takeovers (Assumption II); opposition can be principled.


Step-by-Step Solution:
1) Without I, the speaker’s sector-specific prohibition becomes arbitrary.2) II (MNCs “on the prowl”) is an optional justification, not a necessary one; the speaker would oppose even benign MNC interest based on the commons principle alone.


Verification / Alternative check:
Public-trust doctrines worldwide argue that vital resources like water require public/community stewardship independent of private actors’ intentions.


Why Other Options Are Wrong:
Any option elevating II to necessity adds a contingent factual claim not required for the normative position.


Common Pitfalls:
Assuming a moral stance implies a specific conspiracy or market move; here the principle stands on its own.


Final Answer:
Only assumption I is implicit.

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