#1 - Main Point

[rameday]

Hello,

So I just finished:

Passage 1 June 2005 Questions 1-7

I got the first question wrong. The first question the answer was B which I eliminated as a loser my three contenders were A,C & E . I felt answer E was the correct answer.

I would love some explanation as to where I went wrong.

A

[BethRibet]

Hi Rameday,

Thanks for writing.
On question 1, answer choice E isn't supported by the passage. The answer choice references "total expenditures", but if you notice in the first sentence, the discussion is not about what the nation spends, but of the value of what it produces (goods and services). In addition, the distinction between past and future in the answer choice isn't really indicated in the discussion either.

Answer choice B in contrast, is supported by lines 5-9, which indicate that other values inform or define prosperity in a "broader sense", meaning outside of the view of the economists, which fits with "ordinary" in answer choice B.

Hope this helps!
Beth

[apinkney1989]

Hi,

Why would answer D not be correct? Thank you

[Adam Tyson]

Hi there apinkney, thanks for your question! I am assuming that you are referring to the first question, which is the Main Point question, where the correct answer is B. Answer D brings up a concept that is nowhere to be found in the passage, which is that prosperity cannot be measured or defined and that the concept isn't useful. Quite the contrary! The critics here are arguing that we should work to expand our understanding of prosperity by looking beyond strictly monetary measures, and that a greater understanding of that "true" prosperity would be very useful! They aren't saying definition and measurement are impossible, but that the definition should be reconsidered to include other factors. It's not easy, but it's still worth trying, per the last few lines of the passage.

Consider the tone of the passage, which is supportive of a new way of looking at prosperity. Now consider the tone of answer D, which is somewhat dismissive and pessimistic. Not a match at all! There's no way this answer could capture our Main Point when the tone is so far off.

If you were asking about another question in this passage, let us know which one and we'll see what we can do to help. Good luck in your continued studies!

p.s. For more discussion of this passage, including several of the other questions, check out this thread:
lsat/viewforum.php?f=868

[lilmissunshine]

Hello,

I correctly chose (B) but I wanted to clarify how "our ordinary conception of this notion" is indicated in the passage. I thought it was a bit weirdly worded...

Many thanks!

[Malila Robinson]

Hi lilmissunshine,
To point out some specific references answer B comes from:

"Economists have long defined prosperity in terms of monetary value, gauging a given nation's prosperity solely on the basis of the total monetary value of the goods and services produced annually. (5) However, critics point out that defining prosperity solely as a function of monetary value is questionable since it fails to recognize other kinds of values, such as quality of life or environmental health, that contribute directly to prosperity in a broader sense. (10) For example..."

"Implicitly adopting the economists' point of view, the residents argued that the harvest limitations would lower their wages or even cause the loss of jobs. (30) But critics of the economists' view argue that this view of the situation overlooks a crucial consideration."

"From their decision not to do so, the critics conclude that their location has substantial monetary value to them. The community will thus lose much more--even understood in monetary terms--if the proposed harvest limits are not implemented. (45) Economists respond by arguing that to be a useful concept, prosperity must be defined in easily quantifiable terms, and that prosperity thus should not include difficult-to-measure values such as happiness or environmental health."

In more general terms, the argument is positing the position of the economists against the critics view. But when we look more closely at who the critics are, we see that they are the people who the economists are talking about, essentially the general public. This makes B "Economists' definition of prosperity strictly in terms of monetary value is too narrow to truly capture our ordinary conception of this notion."
Hope this helps!
-Malila