#17 - Global Reference, Must Be True, Except

[Administrator]

Complete Question Explanation

The correct answer choice is (A).

Answer choice (A): This is the correct answer choice.

Answer choice (B):

Answer choice (C):

Answer choice (D):

Answer choice (E):


This explanation is still in progress. Please post any questions below!

[alex.r.berson@gmail.com]

Hi there,

I'm having trouble understanding why (A) is correct and (E) is not. Is it because (A) uses "largely" and the author only alludes to people of different social classes being involved in juries but not that any one or another segment of a social class is involved?

Furthermore, I don't see any mention of juries being allowed to deliberate in private just that they weren't allowed to deliberate at all ("rendered their verdict on the spot").

Please explain.

[Luke Haqq]

Hi Alex!

This is an must be true except question. We're asked to identify which of the following are true about ancient Greek juries "except." That means that four answer choices will be true, and one--the correct answer--will not necessarily be true and may be false.

Answer choice (E) states, "They rendered verdicts without benefit of private discussion among themselves." The material on juries is in the third paragraph. Within that paragraph, we're told that they "rendered their verdict on the spot, without the benefit of any discussion among themselves" (lines 31-33). If they weren't allowed to discuss with one another at all, then they weren't allowed to discuss with one another in private. This confirms that answer choice (E) is true, so we can eliminate it.

Answer choice (A) states that juries "were somewhat democratic insofar as they were composed largely of people from the lowest social classes." You raise a good point in finding the word "largely" problematic. Answer choice (A) contrasts with the passage, which tells us that these juries were "drawn from diverse social classes" (lines 35-36). We don't know from that part of the passage or anywhere else that they largely came from the lowest social classes. Since answer choice (A) isn't necessarily true based on the passage, that confirms that it's the correct answer.