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- Thu May 05, 2016 12:07 pm
#23944
Complete Question Explanation
Point at Issue. The correct answer choice is (D)
According to Mark, historians must capture the personal experience of historical events in order to convey a true understanding of them. Carla counters his argument by suggesting that subjective perspectives will inevitably generate a biased version of history, and that therefore historians must stick to objective characterizations. This is clearly an ethical disagreement in which the speakers disagree over the best way to convey a proper understanding of historical events. The correct answer to a Point at Issue question will therefore be an ethical and not a factual statement with which one of the two speakers would agree, and the other – disagree.
Answer choice (A): It seems likely that Mark and Carla will both agree with the statement that the purpose of writing history is to convey an understanding of the past. Because the argument revolves around an ethical issue, wrong answers will often bring up factual issues. This answer choice is incorrect.
Answer choice (B): While Carla would disagree with the statement that participants in a battle are capable of having an objective understanding of the events they are involved in, there is no evidence that Mark would agree with it. In fact, it is precisely the subjective, personal experience of these events that Mark considers most valuable in historical accounts.
Answer choice (C): Whether historians are capable of conveying a subjective characterization of the past is not the point in either argument: Mark and Carla disagree over an issue that is ethical in nature, not factual. It is possible that both speakers would agree that historians can succeed in conveying a subjective perspective of the past. The point is whether doing so is a valuable thing to do, not whether it is a feasible one. This answer choice is incorrect.
Remember: because the argument revolves around an ethical issue, wrong answers will often bring up factual issues.
Answer choice (D): This is the correct answer choice. Mark considers the subjective perspective of historical events to be preferable to the more objective one, whereas Carla asserts that historians must stick to objective characterizations of the past. Because Mark would agree with this statement and Carla would disagree with it, answer choice (D) passes the Agree/Disagree test and is therefore correct.
Answer choice (E): Even though this answer choice brings up an ethical issue and therefore deserves a closer look, hopefully you were able to eliminate it pretty quickly. Because the correct answer to a Point at Issue question can always be proven by referring to the viewpoints stated in the stimulus, and neither speaker argues that historians should use fictional episodes to supplement their accounts, this answer choice is incorrect.
Point at Issue. The correct answer choice is (D)
According to Mark, historians must capture the personal experience of historical events in order to convey a true understanding of them. Carla counters his argument by suggesting that subjective perspectives will inevitably generate a biased version of history, and that therefore historians must stick to objective characterizations. This is clearly an ethical disagreement in which the speakers disagree over the best way to convey a proper understanding of historical events. The correct answer to a Point at Issue question will therefore be an ethical and not a factual statement with which one of the two speakers would agree, and the other – disagree.
Answer choice (A): It seems likely that Mark and Carla will both agree with the statement that the purpose of writing history is to convey an understanding of the past. Because the argument revolves around an ethical issue, wrong answers will often bring up factual issues. This answer choice is incorrect.
Answer choice (B): While Carla would disagree with the statement that participants in a battle are capable of having an objective understanding of the events they are involved in, there is no evidence that Mark would agree with it. In fact, it is precisely the subjective, personal experience of these events that Mark considers most valuable in historical accounts.
Answer choice (C): Whether historians are capable of conveying a subjective characterization of the past is not the point in either argument: Mark and Carla disagree over an issue that is ethical in nature, not factual. It is possible that both speakers would agree that historians can succeed in conveying a subjective perspective of the past. The point is whether doing so is a valuable thing to do, not whether it is a feasible one. This answer choice is incorrect.
Remember: because the argument revolves around an ethical issue, wrong answers will often bring up factual issues.
Answer choice (D): This is the correct answer choice. Mark considers the subjective perspective of historical events to be preferable to the more objective one, whereas Carla asserts that historians must stick to objective characterizations of the past. Because Mark would agree with this statement and Carla would disagree with it, answer choice (D) passes the Agree/Disagree test and is therefore correct.
Answer choice (E): Even though this answer choice brings up an ethical issue and therefore deserves a closer look, hopefully you were able to eliminate it pretty quickly. Because the correct answer to a Point at Issue question can always be proven by referring to the viewpoints stated in the stimulus, and neither speaker argues that historians should use fictional episodes to supplement their accounts, this answer choice is incorrect.