#3 - Must Be True, Author's Perspective

[Sdaoud17]

Can you confirm with me how D is the answer ? I really didnot get even though it was the only one left using elimination ?


Thank you

[Steve Stein]

Thanks for your question. Did you try to prephrase an answer to that one?

Let me know--thanks!

~Steve

[kerwin389]

Hi, I had problems with this question too. I tried to prephrase - I thought that the author would probably agree that things not defined strictly by monetary value might be positive in terms of prosperity, but not necessarily in terms of environmental health. But that has nothing to do with this article - the article is about defining things in terms of prosperity and how economists omit things that are not easily quantifiable. How is the problem with the ozone being threatening even relevant? RC is my hardest section. Help..

Kristen

[Ron Gore]

Hi, Kristen and Sdaoud,

In this passage, the author sides with those who criticize the traditional definition of prosperity used by economists, which measures a nation's prosperity solely on the basis of the total monetary value of the goods and services produced annually. We know the author sides with the critics based, in part, on the final lines of the passage, beginning in line 49 and including the author's reference to "real" prosperity, a broader concept than used by the economists.

The author cites the weakening ozone layer as an example of why this traditional definition of prosperity is flawed. When the ozone layer is weakened, we are no longer protected from ultraviolet radiation. This is bad for us, and is similar to the other example provided by the author, of the failure to impose harvest limitations on farm land.

In both cases, the damage being done to the environment can have short term positive impact under the traditional definition of prosperity. In the ozone layer example, the increased radiation leads to increased sales of hats, sunglasses, and sunscreen. For the farming example, over-harvesting permits short term increases in the number of jobs and the wages paid to the workers.

However, in both cases, there are other economic effects that are harder to define but, the author contends, should be included in the calculation of prosperity. There will be a negative effect, long term, of not being as well protected from radiation. The over-harvesting of crops will seriously damage the land. Not including these realities in the calculation of prosperity creates a false understanding regarding "real prosperity," the author says.

So, while under the traditional definition of prosperity the weakening of the ozone layer contributes to prosperity, through the increased purchase of hats, sunscreen, and sunglasses, the author contends that the weakening of the ozone layer is a threat to "real" (in the passage) or "true" (in the answer choice) prosperity, which incorporates larger issues such as health and the ability to enjoy the environment.

Please let me know if this helps.

Ron

[biskam]

Why would C be wrong? I was in between C and D but I felt that C paraphrased lines 14-17.

[Francis O'Rourke]

Lines 14 - 17 tell us that negative environmental health effects can bolster prosperity. There is no evidence here for the claim that this prosperity in turn "direct attention away from solving" the problem. You may argue that this is likely ti be true, but it is not stated in the passage.

The author is concerned with incorrect attention when it comes to defining true prosperity. This author does not address how attentive people are to solving environmental problems.

[cruzer2020]

Hi,

I have a question on some of the wording of the answer vs. my answer choice.

3. For Q3, why is D the correct answer and why is C the incorrect choice? I chose C because I felt that the phrase "directed attention away from solving it" in reference to the ozone layer and the author's stance made the most sense/was implied? I feel like I'm not on target with the language being used.

Thank you,

Suri

[Alex Bodaken]

cruzer2020,

Thanks for the question, and please accept our apologies for not getting back to you sooner. Let me see if I can help.

Question #3: This is a tricky question. (C) ends up being wrong because the passage never states that the the appearance of prosperity directs attention away from solving the issue of the weakening ozone layer...it simply says that economists may see this ozone reduction as beneficial rather than harmful - a position that the author disagrees with. Answer choice (D) lays the author's position out: the weakening of the ozone layer should be regarded as a net negative, not a net positive, and he/she doesn't believe that whatever economic gains result from it represent true prosperity.

Hope all of that helps, and feel free to continue to reach out with any questions!
Alex

[cutiepie]

I dont understand how answer choice D is the correct answer choice in question #3. " For example, as the earth's ozone layer weakens and loses its ability to protect people from ultraviolet radiation, sales of hats, sunglasses, and sunscreens are likely to skyrocket, all adding to the nation's total expenditures. In this way, troubling reductions in environmental health and quality of life may in fact initiate economic activity that, by the economists' measure, bolsters prosperity." from this sentence i understood that prosperity is sustained rather than threatened when earth's ozone layer is weakened. I chose answer choice A for this question.

[Stephanie Oswalt]

I dont understand how answer choice D is the correct answer choice in question #3. " For example, as the earth's ozone layer weakens and loses its ability to protect people from ultraviolet radiation, sales of hats, sunglasses, and sunscreens are likely to skyrocket, all adding to the nation's total expenditures. In this way, troubling reductions in environmental health and quality of life may in fact initiate economic activity that, by the economists' measure, bolsters prosperity." from this sentence i understood that prosperity is sustained rather than threatened when earth's ozone layer is weakened. I chose answer choice A for this question.

Hi cutiepie!

I have moved your post to the thread dedicated to #3 . Please review the above discussion and let us know if that helps! Thanks!