Directions : Each of the following question consists of a statement followed by two arguments I and II. You have to decide which of the arguments is a STRONG arguments and which is a WEAK Argument. Statement : Should the oil companies be allowed to fix the price of petroleum products depending on market conditions? Arguments : I. Yes. This is the only way to make the oil companies commercially viable. II. No. This will put additional burden on the retail prices of essential commodities and will cause a lot of hardships to the masses.

The correct answer is: Only argument II is strong.

Argument I is not strong because it is based on the assumption that the only way to make the oil companies commercially viable is to allow them to fix the price of petroleum products depending on market conditions. However, there may be other ways to make the oil companies commercially viable, such as providing them with subsidies or tax breaks.

Argument II is strong because it is based on the realistic concern that allowing the oil companies to fix the price of petroleum products depending on market conditions will put additional burden on the retail prices of essential commodities and will cause a lot of hardships to the masses. This is because the price of petroleum products is a major factor in the cost of production of many essential commodities, such as food and transportation. If the price of petroleum products goes up, the price of these commodities will also go up, which will put a strain on the budgets of many people.

Therefore, only argument II is strong.