Last year a record number of new manufacturing jobs were created. Will this year bring another record? Well, <b> any new manufacturing job is created either within an existing company or by the start-up of a new company </b>. Within existing firms, new jobs have been created this year at well below last year' s record pace. At the same time, there is considerable evidence that the number of new companies starting up this year will be no higher than it was last year and <b> there is no reason to think that the new companies starting up this year will create more jobs per company than did last year' s start-ups </b>. So clearly, the number of new jobs created this year will fall short of last year' s record. In the argument given, the two portions in boldface play which of the following roles? ['The first is a generalization that the argument seeks to establish; the second is a judgment that has been advanced in order to challenge that generalization.', 'The first is presented as obvious truth on which the argument is based; the second is a judgment advanced in support of the main conclusion of the argument.', 'The first is presented as obvious truth on which the argument is based; the second is a claim that has been advanced in support of a position that the argument opposes.', 'The first provides evidence in support of the main conclusion of the argument; the second is a claim that argument challenges.']