LR Drill Set 11, Question 9
People have informal obligations both to other people(65 more words not shown)
Which one of the following(11 more words not shown)
- AAn obligation to(11 more words not shown)
- BWhen you have(11 more words not shown)
- CThe legal right(14 more words not shown)
- DLegal obligations to(15 more words not shown)
- EObligations to the(12 more words not shown)
Reading the argument
Forgetting to hold a door for someone and failing to meet a legal obligation aren't the same kind of problem.
A person might expect you to be considerate, and might be annoyed if you aren't. The passage contrasts that kind of informal obligation with obligations to the government. The government can put its demands into law and use legally authorized force to enforce them.
That explains the argument's organization. First we hear about informal obligations. Then we get the central claim: obligations to the government are different. The later statements explain why—law and the power to enforce it give those obligations a different character.
What we’re looking for
For the main conclusion, I want that overall distinction. Don't choose the most forceful-sounding sentence just because it comes last. The question is what the law-and-enforcement discussion helps establish. It supports the difference between government obligations and the informal obligations introduced at the beginning.
Working the answers
- ACorrect
This states the overall point: an obligation to the government differs from informal obligations to people and institutions. The references to law and legal force tell us why the author thinks the distinction matters. A gathers that support under the claim it is meant to establish.
- B
The author does say governmental obligations are encoded in law. But that is one of the features used to explain their difference from informal obligations. B gives a reason for the main conclusion rather than the conclusion itself.
- C
This is an important supporting point, and its position at the end can make it tempting. The government's distinctive enforcement power helps explain why obligations to it have a different character. The argument as a whole is organized around that difference in obligations, not merely the fact that the government differs from other institutions.
- D
This summarizes the enforcement explanation. The government's legal right to use force backs its legal demands. Why does the author explain that? To show why a governmental obligation is different from an informal one. D captures support for the comparison while leaving out the overall conclusion.
- E
This identifies a particular difference involving law. The argument's main claim is broader: these kinds of obligation are different, with their legal form and enforcement explaining the contrast. E stops at one feature of the explanation. It also shifts from the informal obligations discussed to a broader description of obligations to other people and institutions, which the passage doesn't need to classify universally.
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