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May 2012 had the highest level of rainfall on record for the preceding fifty years. Predictions of rainfall are rarely accurate. Therefore:

The rainfall in May 2012 was greater than in May 2011.
A. Conclusion Follows
B. Conclusion Does Not Follow

User Zeacuss
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1 Answer

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Final answer:

The conclusion that the rainfall in May 2012 was greater than in May 2011 does not follow, as no comparative data for May 2011 is provided, and the prediction accuracy of rainfall is irrelevant to the conclusion.

Step-by-step explanation:

B. Conclusion Does Not Follow

The statement about May 2012 having the highest level of rainfall on record for the preceding fifty years does not provide sufficient information to conclude that the rainfall in May 2012 was greater than in May 2011. Despite May 2012 being a record-breaking month, this fact alone does not give us comparative data for May 2011. The argument is flawed because it assumes that because May 2012 had high rainfall, it must have been greater than the previous year, without any specific data to back up that claim.

The second sentence regarding the accuracy of predictions about rainfall is irrelevant to the conclusion drawn because it speaks to the general unpredictability of such weather events, rather than providing any concrete evidence about the comparative rainfall levels between May 2012 and May 2011.

Overall, without specific information on the amount of rainfall in May 2011, we cannot logically conclude that it was less than that of May 2012.

User Baqir Khan
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