Ten years ago, the country of vorland adopted new automobile safety regulations requiring airbags and better seat belts in all new automobiles. since then, the annual number of drivers and passengers hospitalized overnight or longer for injuries sustained in automobile accidents has steadily declined. clearly, the regulations have made vorland's automobiles safer for drivers and passengers who are involved in accidents. which of the following is an assumption on which the argument depends? (a) the citizens of vorland generally obey all national and local speed limits. (b) of the patients treated at hospitals in vorland, the percentage treated being treated for injuries sustained in automobile accidents has decreased in the past ten years. (c) the safety improvements required by the regulations have not significantly affect the price of new automobiles. (d) there has been no increase in speed limits on vorland's major highways over the past ten years. (e) over the past ten years, there has not been a steady decline in the annual number of drivers and passengers involved in automobile accidents in vorland.

An employee of the state government always received his state paycheck on the last workday of the month. the employee was not a good money manager, and just barely managed to make it from paycheck to paycheck each month. on the second to the last workday of the month, the employee had $45 in his checking account, and, needing to buy a birthday gift for his sister, he wrote a check to a gift boutique for $100. he knew that he would be receiving his paycheck the next day, so he could deposit the paycheck before the check would be sent to the bank. however, unbeknownst to the employee, the state legislature was having a budget impasse. because the state constitution prohibited any deficit spending, state employees were not paid as usual. without a paycheck to deposit, the check written to the gift boutique was returned for insufficient funds. the merchant complained to the police, who arrested the employee and charged him under a statute that prohibited "issuing a check knowing that it is drawn against insufficient funds, with intent to defraud the payee of the check."what should be the outcome of the employee's prosecution? a not guilty, because the employee intended to deposit his paycheck the next day. b not guilty, because it was reasonable for the employee to expect that he would receive his paycheck as usual. c guilty, because the employee knew when he wrote the check that he did not have sufficient funds in his account to honor it. d guilty, because reliance on a future source of income does not vitiate the employee's violation of the statute when he wrote the check.