Question

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写真の問題の2行目のit dose は何を指していますか？

(B) If the discipline of linguistics has so little to be said in its favour, one might
wonder how it continues to flourish as widely as it does. It was never the case
that all universities contained a linguistics department, and there are probably
fewer of them today than there were in the immediate aftermath of the 1960s
wave of enthusiasm. But the many linguistics departments that still exist are
fairly secure. In the 21st century, decisions about which subjects should be
offered in a university are made not in terms of their intellectual solidity but
of which will be cost-effective, by attracting a market of student takers.
Linguistics departments are well placed there, for two reasons.
(Sampson, Geoffrey. 2017. The Linguistics Delusion, Equinox)