Traditionally, the foundations of houses were made of concrete. A builder is experimenting with using a hard plastic polymer for foundations. A foundation made with the polymer is about the same price to construct and install as is concrete foundation. Unlike concrete, the polymer will block all water flow and is not prone to cracking with age. The builder argues that houses built with the polymer foundation will last longer. Which of the following must be studied in order to evaluate the argument presented above? ['Whether consumers seeking to buy a house will trust a house with an alternate foundation.', 'Whether soil acidity, to which all stone is resistant, can dissolve the polymer.', 'How dry the soil in this region becomes during typical summer droughts.', 'Whether repairs to polymer foundations are more expensive than repairs to concrete foundations.']