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Problem 14 - Entrance Test

The government should ban all plastic bags. This action will significantly reduce ocean pollution and protect marine life, as plastic bags are a major component of floating debris. The argument above relies on which of the following assumptions?

Correct: B

The argument states that banning plastic bags 'will significantly reduce ocean pollution and protect marine life.' For this conclusion to hold, it must be assumed that the ban actually translates into fewer plastic bags ending up in the oceans. If, for instance, people simply switch to other single-use plastic alternatives that also pollute, or if a significant portion of ocean plastic bags comes from sources outside the ban's jurisdiction, the intended effect wouldn't be achieved. Option B is this critical assumption. Option A is an extreme claim not necessarily assumed. Option C is also extreme and not strictly necessary. Option D is an assumption about consumer behavior, which affects the *success* of the ban, but B is more fundamental to the *mechanism* of pollution reduction.