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- Sun Jan 20, 2013 12:00 am
#34776
Complete Question Explanation
Strengthen—PR. The correct answer choice is (C)
In this stimulus the judge summarizes the charges in question, the defense, and the judge’s ruling.
The charge: failure to comply with national building codes. The defendants asks that an exception be
made, and penalties not be imposed, claiming that he was confused as to whether national or local
codes applied in his case. The judge says this might be a reasonable defense if he had just been noncomplying
with local codes (and possibly unsure of whether the codes applied nationally). Since he
was non-complying with national codes, though, the judge says that his confusion is no excuse.
The question that follows the stimulus is a Strengthen—Principle question, so the right answer has to
provide a principle that will lend support to the judge’s argument.
Answer choice (A): This principle, that there can be no overlap between local and national codes,
does not help justify the judge’s reasoning, because the judge specifies that if the confusion had been
failure to comply with local codes, the excuse might be acceptable. Since a lack of overlap would not
help to justify the judge’s distinction, this is not the correct answer choice.
Answer choice (B): This choice, which provides that national codes are always at least as strict as
local codes, does not help to justify the judge’s distinction between an excuse that might have been
acceptable, and the defendant’s excuse in this case.
Answer choice (C): This is the correct answer choice. It provides that all national codes are locally
applied as well—if this is the case, he can no longer claim to be confused about which national codes
apply to his local area.
Answer choice (D): This choice basically provides that ignorance of the law is not an adequate
excuse, but the judge specifically said that the defendant’s excuse would have been acceptable under
different circumstances, so this principle does not support the judge’s reasoning.
Answer choice (E): This principle about compliance is not relevant to the defendant, who is charged
with non-compliance, so this choice should be ruled out of contention in response to this Strengthen
question.
Strengthen—PR. The correct answer choice is (C)
In this stimulus the judge summarizes the charges in question, the defense, and the judge’s ruling.
The charge: failure to comply with national building codes. The defendants asks that an exception be
made, and penalties not be imposed, claiming that he was confused as to whether national or local
codes applied in his case. The judge says this might be a reasonable defense if he had just been noncomplying
with local codes (and possibly unsure of whether the codes applied nationally). Since he
was non-complying with national codes, though, the judge says that his confusion is no excuse.
The question that follows the stimulus is a Strengthen—Principle question, so the right answer has to
provide a principle that will lend support to the judge’s argument.
Answer choice (A): This principle, that there can be no overlap between local and national codes,
does not help justify the judge’s reasoning, because the judge specifies that if the confusion had been
failure to comply with local codes, the excuse might be acceptable. Since a lack of overlap would not
help to justify the judge’s distinction, this is not the correct answer choice.
Answer choice (B): This choice, which provides that national codes are always at least as strict as
local codes, does not help to justify the judge’s distinction between an excuse that might have been
acceptable, and the defendant’s excuse in this case.
Answer choice (C): This is the correct answer choice. It provides that all national codes are locally
applied as well—if this is the case, he can no longer claim to be confused about which national codes
apply to his local area.
Answer choice (D): This choice basically provides that ignorance of the law is not an adequate
excuse, but the judge specifically said that the defendant’s excuse would have been acceptable under
different circumstances, so this principle does not support the judge’s reasoning.
Answer choice (E): This principle about compliance is not relevant to the defendant, who is charged
with non-compliance, so this choice should be ruled out of contention in response to this Strengthen
question.