For each of the following pairs of causal arguments, determine which is stronger
-Which causal argument is stronger?
A) There's at least one good thing coming from widespread unemployment. More people are taking college courses. A study of college attendance in twelve counties with the lowest employment numbers showed that each had large enrollment numbers for the last two semesters. This is the only possible cause common to all twelve counties, since they had different income levels, different percentages of high school graduates, and different rates of previous college attendance.
B) There's at least one good thing coming from widespread unemployment. More people are taking college courses. A study of college attendance in twelve counties with the lowest employment numbers showed that each had large enrollment numbers for the last two semesters. This is the only possible cause common to all twelve counties.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Argument A is stronger because it provides additional evidence that eliminates alternative explanations for the observed phenomenon. It specifies that the 12 counties had different income levels, percentages of high school graduates, and rates of previous college attendance, which strengthens the causal claim that unemployment was the common cause of the increased college enrollment. Argument B, on the other hand, only makes a general claim about the correlation between unemployment and college attendance without ruling out other possible causes.

For Each of the Following Pairs of Causal Arguments, Determine