Direction: Each of the following questions consists of a statement followed by two arguments I and II. In making a decision about important questions, it is desirable to be able to distinguish between ‘strong’ arguments and ‘weak’ arguments. ‘Strong’ arguments are those which are both important and directly related to the question. ‘Weak’ arguments are those which are of minor importance and also may not be directly related to the question or may be related to trivial aspects of the question. Analyze first the statement then the arguments in context of the statement and finally decide which of the arguments hold(s) strong and help(s) formulate the most appropriate opinion on the subject.

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.