#14 - Geographer: Because tropical storms require heat and

[Administrator]

Complete Question Explanation

Main Point. The correct answer choice is (E)

Your task in this Main Point question is to select the answer choice that best restates the geographer’s
conclusion. The geographer’s argument, reordered for clarity, proceeds:

Premise: tropical storms require heat and moisture

Sub-Conclusion: thus, they form especially over ocean surfaces of at least 26 degrees
Celsius

Premise: global warming would encourage temperatures of at least 26 degrees Celsius

Premise: thus, many early discussions of global warming predicted it would cause more
frequent and intense tropical storms

Premise: but, other factors, such as instabilities in wind flow, are likely to counteract
global warming’s effect on tropical storm development

Conclusion: thus, global warming is unlikely to cause more frequent and intense tropical
storms

Your prephrase is that the correct answer will identify the statement that global warming is unlikely
to cause more frequent and intense tropical storms as the main point. The incorrect answers will
identify some other portion of the stimulus as the main point, or may refer to some statement not
supported by the stimulus.

Answer choice (A): This choice restates a premise of the argument.

Answer choice (B): This statement is inconsistent with the passage. While the early discussions
predicted global warming would cause more frequent and intense tropical storms, those discussion
did not state that global warming was the only factor affecting the storms.

Answer choice (C): This statement is the reverse of the prediction that global warming would cause
more frequent and intense tropical storms, and is not a fact provided in the stimulus.

Answer choice (D): While instabilities in wind flow were cited as phenomena that would counteract
global warming’s effect on tropical storm development, this was not the conclusion to the argument.

Answer choice (E): This is the correct answer choice. As demonstrated above, this choice presents
a restatement of the argument’s main point.

[Arindom]

Hi,

For this question, I picked ans. choice B as it passes the Fact Test. Could you please explain why this is incorrect and why E is correct?

Thanks.

- Arindom

[BethRibet]

Hi Arindom,

Thanks for writing.

For this question, what you want to do is find the answer choice that best matches or best paraphrases the conclusion of the argument. The conclusion is the third sentence. It is not re-stated verbatim in the answer choices, so you know you're looking for the best paraphrase or restatement. The "prediction" referred to in the conclusion, is actually stated in the second sentence, namely that global warming would cause more frequent and intense storms. The conclusion states that this prediction is not likely to be true, so you're looking for an answer that indicates that global warming is not likely to cause more frequent and intense storms. This matches answer choice E.

B does not match the conclusion, so you can rule it out.

Hope this helps!
Beth