#17 - Global Reference, Must Be True

[Administrator]

Complete Question Explanation

The correct answer choice is (B).

Answer choice (A):

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

Answer choice (C):

Answer choice (D):

Answer choice (E):


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

[cindymoon14]

Hi,

Could you please summarize each of passage A and passage B's main points, and explain why answer choices A and E are wrong?

Thanks!

[Alex Bodaken]

cindymoon14,

Thanks for the question!

Passage A discusses the implications of recent findings in neuroscience that call into question the concept of free will. The author argues that what we may think are freely made decisions may not be free, and may instead be a result of pre-determined patterns in the brain. As a result, he/she suggests that the criminal justice system should abandon the concept of retribution as punishment and instead focus on deterring future harms.

Passage B serves a something of a counterargument to Passage A. The author of Passage B concedes that neuroscience is making more and more human actions appear to be pre-determined, but argues that free will and deterministic actions are compatible. He/she sets up a dichotomy between "free actions" and "constrained actions;" actions that are constrained are those where there is a mental or physical source forcing you into a certain decision, while all other actions should be considered free. Therefore, some decisions could be "determined" and yet still be "free."

Moving on to the answer choices: remember that when we see questions on dual passages that are phrased in this way ("both passages are concerned" or "both passages note," or some other variant) we should be able to directly cite where in each passage the issue suggested in the answer choice is talked about.

Answer choice (A) falls short because while punishment is discussed in Passage A, it is not mentioned in Passage B. Therefore, we can't say that both passages are concerned with answering this question.

Answer choice (E) is incorrect because while Passage B talks about direct physical coercion, Passage A does not, instead focusing on how the brain makes some actions appear predetermined. Again, because the issue isn't the concern of both passages, it cannot be correct.

Answer choice (B) is credited because both passages are concerned with how scientific research into the brain impacts freedom of the will.

Hope that helps!
Alex

[mthomp24]

Could you explain why answer choice C is wrong? I chose C because I felt that the second passage could answer the question, since it talks about free vs. constrained actions, and a constrained action would not be deterred by the threat of punishment since the person is forced into doing it.
Thanks!

[Adam Tyson]

While the author of passage B might, if asked, have something to say about the relationship between punishment and deterrence, there is nothing in the passage that directly bears on those issues, mthomp24. That's what makes C a bad answer choice here - we need something that "both passages are concerned with answering." Not just something that the authors might say, but what they are trying to say, and what questions they are trying to address, in what they wrote.

For questions like these, we must rely on the text, just like a Must Be True question in Logical Reasoning. Focus on what the authors said, rather than on any assumptions we might wish to make about what they would say, and answers like C will be much easier to reject. The text is your guide for almost every RC question you will encounter, and you should refer to it often to find direct, textual support for your answer choices.

Give that another look and see if it helps. Keep at it, and thanks for joining us here!

[goingslow]

For Q17, what does the QStem ask for? “Both passages are concerned with answering which one of the following questions?” The main purpose of both passages? Or just something that’s discussed in both passages?

I also had difficulty with (C) - does Passage A talk about (C) or not?

Any help appreciated!

[Adam Tyson]

Questions like these are not necessarily about the main point or primary purpose of the passages, goingslow, although they certainly can be. It could also be a secondary issue that they both wish to address, so question that is subordinate to the main thrust of one or both passages.

Author A at least alludes to the possibility that punishment might be a deterrent even for actions that are not fully free, since they suggest punishment as a deterrent and also are looking into the idea that nothing we do is ever truly free because it is all just a product of our brains. But author B never touches on the issue, which is enough to make this a bad answer.