#9 - Politician: Some proponents of unilateral nuclear arms

[Administrator]

Complete Question Explanation

Main Point. The correct answer choice is (E)

This stimulus begins with an example of the “some people say…” rhetorical device, in which the
author opens with some other person’s view and then immediately argues against it. Here, the
politician starts with the view held by “some proponents of unilateral nuclear arms reduction”
that the unilateral reduction of a country’s nuclear arsenal would pave the way to an international
agreement on arms reduction by encouraging other countries to also reduce their own nuclear
arsenals. The politician disagrees with this view, concluding that unilateral nuclear arms reduction
would be dangerous. In support of this view, the politician says that it does not consider countries
that are about to enter into civil wars, many of which have nuclear capability, and which cannot be
trusted to abide by an international arms reduction agreement.

This is a Main Point question. Our prephrase is that the correct answer choice will contain a
restatement of the politician’s conclusion, that reducing the country’s nuclear arsenal unilaterally
would be dangerous.

Answer choice (A): The politician did reference the problem of nations on the verge of civil war, but
that statement was a premise offered in support of the conclusion, not the conclusion itself.

Answer choice (B): This answer choice restates the view of unilateral nuclear arms reduction
proponents, with which the politician disagrees.

Answer choice (C): While this seems to be a rational real-world consideration, the politician did not
raise it.

Answer choice (D): It appears that the politician would agree with this sentiment. However, this
concern did not appear in the stimulus.

Answer choice (E): This is the correct answer choice, because it restates the politician’s
conclusion, as described above.

[LustingFor!L]

I selected the correct answer choice, E, but I had a question about main point questions. I know main point correct answer questions in reading comprehension will never be word for word from the stimulus. Does that also apply to logical reasoning?

[Kristina Moen]

LustingFor!L,

Yes, on a Main Point question, the correct answer choice will never be WORD FOR WORD. However, often the main point says something like "This would be unfounded" or "I disagree with this sentiment" or something similar, and you are meant to put it all together and the correct answer choice is "[whatever this is] would be unfounded" or "[this sentiment] is wrong." See also "Two Commonly Used Constructions" on p. 1-45 in the Full Length course book if you have it!

Here,"our acting on the basis of this argument would be dangerous" is the conclusion. But you are meant to put the whole thing together. The basis of what argument? Ah, the first sentence is "Some proponents of unilateral nuclear arms reduction argue that it would encourage other countries to reduce their own nuclear arsenals, eventually leading to an international agreement on nuclear arms reduction."

Answer Choice (E) puts this all together: "It is risky for the politician’s country to unilaterally reduce nuclear arms in hopes of achieving an international agreement on arms reduction."