#3 - The United States has never been a great international

[Administrator]

Complete Question Explanation

Method of ReasoningX. The correct answer choice is (E)

The author of this stimulus has a lot to say about US shortcomings:

The country has never been a great international trader.

Most of the country’s raw materials and customers have been from the US.

According to the author, the above has led to the large foreign debt.

The author’s moral: we can’t survive in a vacuum, just like a dog can’t survive eating its own tail.

The question stem is a Method Except, which means that among the five answer choices, the four incorrect answer choices will accurately describe a method used in the stimulus. The correct answer will be the one choice which fails to do so.

Answer Choice (A): This method is used, with the comparison to a dog.

Answer Choice (B): This method is also used, in the first lines of the stimulus.

Answer Choice (C): The author uses this method, asserting that lack of foreign trade is the cause, and large foreign debt is the cause.

Answer Choice (D): This answer choice is closely related to the choice above. The author does suggest a cause, which is lack of international trade.

Answer Choice (E): This is the correct answer choice. The author does not question the ethics of the situation. Since this is the only answer choice which lists a method not used in the stimulus, this choice is correct.

[Trey]

I understand that is the a Method of Reasoning X question, but how is E correct when the author does question the ethical basis in the last sentence of the passage "The moral is clear: a country can no more..."

[Dave Killoran]

I understand that is the a Method of Reasoning X question, but how is E correct when the author does question the ethical basis in the last sentence of the passage "The moral is clear: a country can no more..."

Hi Trey,

In a sense, they threw a fake connection at everyone by using the word "moral" in the stimulus and then mentioning "ethical" in this answer, but it's a red herring designed to attract attention without having a true connection.

Just mentioning the idea of a "moral" doesn't automatically mean the author "question(ed) the ethical basis of an economic situation." That's because in the sense used here, "moral" is the same as "lesson." So, the author isn't questioning the moral principles of how we got into that economic situation (such as the use of forced labor or something similar), but rather telling us we should learn a lesson from what happened. that last italicized part offers a second issue with this answer, because the lesson being drawn at the end of the stimulus follows from what we learned as a result of the situation, whereas (E) talks about the basis of the situation. That is a before and after difference that is also problematic here.

Thanks!