Question

Use the passage to answer the question.
Claim: Employers should be allowed to mandate that their employees receive vaccinations because a healthy workforce is essential to success. Furthermore, businesses should be able to guarantee safety at work for all employees.
Counterclaim: There are many reasons why an employee may refuse a vaccination. One may be for religious reasons. Employee vaccine mandates are disrespectful toward the sincerely held beliefs of those affected by them.

A student is writing an argument supporting the claim above. They want to address the counterclaim in their concluding statement. What is an effective concession that the student may include?
Employers and employees should work together to make sure that safety and religious freedom are both respected.
○ If an employee does not want to receive a vaccine, they can terminate their employment and find another job.
○ There is no denying that religious intolerance is a serious problem in workplaces today.
○ Vaccine mandates should not allow employees to refuse vaccines for religious reasons.

Answer 1

"Employers and employees should work together to make sure that safety and religious freedom are both respected."

Why: This statement acknowledges the validity of the counterclaim (religious freedom) while still supporting the original argument and pointing toward a reasonable compromise. The other choices are either dismissive, only acknowledge the problem without offering reconciliation, or reject the counterclaim outright.