#8 - Global Reference, Main Point

[Administrator]

Complete Question Explanation

The correct answer choice is (E).

Answer choice (A):

Answer choice (B):

Answer choice (C):

Answer choice (D):

Answer choice (E): This is the correct answer choice.

This explanation is still in progress. Please post any questions below!

[arvinm123]

Hi Powerscore

I chose A for this answer and am still having trouble recognizing why E is the better choice. I find the scope of E) is more narrow and utilizes something specific that was only mentioned in the last sentence of the passage ('another method should supplement the current ones')

Can someone please explain why A) is wrong and why E) is better suited as the main point?

Thanks

[Adam Tyson]

A good answer to any Main Point question needs to answer the question "what does this author want me to believe?", arvinm123 . It's not always about the content in the majority of the passage, but about where the author is taking us at the end of the journey. It's often the case that the main point is only made fully clear at the very end of the passage, and that's the case here, where the author spends most of the passage telling us about problems with the economists' approach and the math involved, but then ends up telling us that if you correct for the math you get new problems that still have to be dealt with. No Main Point answer about this passage can work without at least addressing this final twist, because it's crucial information and not just some afterthought.

Answer A is wrong because it is not comprehensive. It ignores the final paragraph, where the author indicates that sometimes, when you factor in detection rates, you will get penalties that are NOT practical, even if they are, in some sense, fair. You're right that the correct answer seems to focus narrowly on the final paragraph, but ultimately that is what the author has concluded and wants us to believe.