Large$-$scale reductions in class size will likely lower the average quality of teachers: first, because to hire additional teachers school districts must reach into the lower$-$quality segment of the teacher pool; and, second, because a given budget will be spread among a higher number of teachers, thereby limiting potential increases in teacher salaries. $($Jane Hannaway and Robert I. Lerman, Letter to the Editor, The New Republic$)$

This passage exemplifies a$($n$)\_\_\_\_\_.$

Group of answer choices

report

argument

unsupported assertion

conditional statement

explanation