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?
Verbal Reasoning
Statement and Argument
Difficulty: Medium
Choose an option
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AOnly argument II is strong
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BNeither I nor II is strong
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CBoth I and II are strong
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DEither I or II is strong
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EOnly argument I is strong
Answer
Correct Answer: Neither I nor II is strong
Explanation
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 IPartial and assumptive—does not engage accreditation, standards, or oversight that determine the validity of degrees.
Step 2: Assess Argument IIOverbroad and speculative—corruption is not inevitable; systems can mitigate it.
Final AnswerNeither I nor II is strong.