#19 - Global Reference, Must Be True, Author's Perspective

[Administrator]

Please post your questions below!

[hlee18]

Hello,

I'm trying to understand why A or D is wrong for this problem.

Thanks!

[James Finch]

Hi H. Lee,

With comparative passages, it's imperative to note which aspects are present in both, which are present in one but not the other, and which are present but directly opposite. This particular question is asking for a principle present in passage A but not in B, which I would Prephrase as "Passage A argues that actions are largely determined by brain patterns, thus out of individuals' control, so the concept of blameworthiness shouldn't be used within the legal system," giving a principle of "free will is probably a myth, so the idea of assigning blame/culpability is outmoded; we should think instead about future risk of bad behavior." We then must choose the answer choice that conforms to that principle.

Answer choice (A) is suspect on two grounds: first, it deals with parents and children, not the legal system. More importantly, and what makes it incorrect, is that it deals with punishment/response to bad behavior, not assigning blame itself. This means that it is possible that (A) could conform perfectly with passage A's message, if, for example, shaming children was shown to alter brain chemistry and lead to fewer socially unacceptable actions in the future.

(D) fails immediately, as passage A regards brain science highly and utilizes recent findings as evidence for their argument.

Contrast this to (E), which deals with the legal system and directly with the point that passage A makes about being forward -looking rather than assigning blame.

Hope this clears things up!

[hlee18]

Hi James,

Yes, it does. Thanks!

[shensational]

Hi,

Can you explain why B is incorrect? It seems to encapsulate the same idea of free will being independent of blame that passage A supports but passage B thinks not feasible.

Thank you!

[Adam Tyson]

When the question asks about conforming to the policies advocated by the two passages, shensational, we should start by thinking about what those policies are. Author A things that blame, or culpability, should be completely removed from our system of criminal justice, and that we should be 100% forward-looking. Does answer B reflect that policy? Just the opposite - it's about allowing prosecutors to consider blame as an important factor! If a prosecutor should be allowed to exclude a juror who is unwilling to assign blame, that means assigning blame is part of the process. That makes B a wrong answer.