#5 - Walter: For the economically privileged in a society

[PositiveThinker]

Part 2 of a two part question. I was easily able to answer the first question of this two part question but question 5 has me befuddled.

I was able to get answer choice E right only by process of elimination but this question took me a solid 4 minutes because i was trying to figure out how E made sense. I don't know where in either response between walter and Larissa they make it known which side they are on regarding answer choice E.


Walter says he feels as though if you tolerate injustice you are morally wrong. Which led me to the conclusion that you are essentially obligated to be intolerant of injustice. And Larissa points out that if you do indeed allow these injustices to persist you are operating under a bad policy (which means morally wrong), but for a different reason than Walter pointed out.

Maybe there are some subtlies i am missing but i just cannot see it. And my eyes are hurting from looking at this stimulus for so long haha. Thanks in advance!

[AthenaDalton]

Hi PositiveThinker,

Nice job using the process of elimination to get to the right answer!

Here's how I approached this problem -- Walter says that an injustice perpetrated against "one of society's disadvantaged" persons may just as easily be inflicted on a "well-to-do person" tomorrow.

Larissa disagrees, stating that (1) the wealthy and (2) the well-educated are better able to protect themselves from injustice, so injustices will accrue against the disadvantaged folks in society but not the wealthy/well-educated.

The big contrast in thinking here is that Walter believes injustice can strike anyone while Larissa believes that injustice is more likely to be inflicted on the poor and uneducated persons in society. That's what answer choice (E), the correct answer, gets at.

I think it's implied that both Larissa and Walter agree that social injustice is morally wrong; so that's not the core part of their disagreement.

I hope this helps -- good luck studying!

Athena Dalton

[PositiveThinker]

Ok that makes sense! thanks a lot

[jessamynlockard]

I chose E as well, but I don't believe there's actually textual evidence to show that Larissa would agree that correcting "bad policy" is a moral obligation. Please help me understand the textual evidence in support of Larissa agreeing with D, because if that's the reason to eliminate D, then I need help doing a close reading.

If the reason that is right, however, is because on the balance it better captures their disagreement, that makes sense! I just want to understand if sometimes this "balance of the argument" is ultimately the final test other than the "agree/disagree test."

[Jonathan Evans]

Hi, Jessamyn,

There is insufficient evidence in the passage to determine whether Larissa would agree or disagree with the statement in answer choice (D). In contrast, we have sufficient evidence in Walter's first statement to establish that he would likely agree with answer choice (D). Thus we have an agree/unknown situation. The credited response must have a definite agree/disagree situation.

This we have in answer choice (E). There is sufficient textual evidence to suggest that Walter would disagree with the statement in (E). Based on his statements, he would likely say the economically privileged are also potentially exposed to the same injustices as the disadvantaged. Likewise, there is sufficient evidence to suggest Larissa would agree with the statement in (E). Larissa would likely say the economically privileged are not as exposed to certain injustices as are the disadvantaged. Thus, we have a definite agree/disagree situation with this answer, and it is the credited response.

[Katherinthesky]

Hi,

I understand why (E) is correct, but can you please explain why (B) is incorrect.
I chose (B) because I interpreted Walter as being in agreement that both the rich and the poor were part of the "same social fabric," while I interpreted Larissa as being in disagreement, since the rich have a better capacity to "protect themselves," and therefore were not part of the same social fabric as the poor.

Thanks in advance.

[Adam Tyson]

I assume you mean answer A, Katherinthesky, since that is the one that mentions the social fabric. Selecting that answer requires that you bring to the table your own assumptions about what the "social fabric" is, and to then make assumptions about how each of these speakers would respond. Since neither of them speaks of any "social fabric," we cannot make any determination of what either of these people would say about that statement. Don't make assumptions! Base your answer entirely on the text!

If you aren't sure, here's a test: use only what Walter said to PROVE that he would take a certain position with regard to answer A, and then use only what Larissa said to PROVE that she would disagree. You can only use the text, nothing else! That's because Point at Issue and Point of Agreement questions are in the same family as Must Be True questions, and the answers have to pass the Fact Test.