Dogs learn best when they are trained using both voice commands and hand signals. After all, a recent study shows that dogs who were trained using both voice commands and hand signals were twice as likely to obey as were dogs who were trained using only voice commands. The claim that dogs learn best when they are trained using both voice commands and hand signals figures in the argument in which one of the following ways? ['It is a statement of background information offered to help facilitate understanding the issue in the argument.', 'It is a statement that the argument claims is supported by the study.', 'It is an implicit assumption of the argument.', "It is an intermediate conclusion that is offered as direct support for the argument's main conclusion."]