Critical reasoning — granting university status to colleges: Should individual colleges in India be given full university status, with one argument claiming better assessment of students by colleges would make degrees more valid, and the other contending that it is utopian to expect colleges to avoid nepotism and corruption in awarding degrees?

Given data

• Statement: Give colleges the status of a university?
• Argument I (Yes): Colleges assess students better; degrees thus more valid.
• Argument II (No): It is utopian to think colleges will be free from nepotism/corruption.

Concept/Approach (evidence vs. conjecture)
Argument I assumes assessment skill automatically translates into credible, independent degree-granting without addressing governance/quality assurance. Argument II is a cynical generalisation lacking evidence and ignores regulatory safeguards.

Step 1: Assess Argument I
Partial and assumptive—does not engage accreditation, standards, or oversight that determine the validity of degrees.

Step 2: Assess Argument II
Overbroad and speculative—corruption is not inevitable; systems can mitigate it.

Final Answer
Neither I nor II is strong.