PrepTest 103, Section 2, Question 19
Anthropologist: Violence is an extreme form of aggression,(36 more words not shown)
Each of the following can(8 more words not shown)
- ANot all aggression(2 more words not shown)
- BThe self-expression required(5 more words not shown)
- CSome behaviors are(9 more words not shown)
- DIn normal circumstances,(7 more words not shown)
- EViolent behavior is(6 more words not shown)
Reading the argument
Keep aggression and violence separate. The anthropologist describes violence as an extreme form of aggression, not as another name for all aggression.
The reference to self-expression may sound abstract. For this passage, the important point is what the author says about it: the self-expression sufficient for ordinary survival is distinct from violence. We do not have to imagine surviving alone in the woods or supply our own definition of every kind of self-expression.
The author also says cultural conditioning accounts for violent reactions to unpleasant experiences. Think of the described kind of reaction as someone responding to an insult by hitting the speaker. The claim is that the culture has conditioned that response. We might want to debate that explanation in another setting, but here we need to follow the statements we are given.
What we’re looking for
The question asks which choice cannot be logically inferred; the other four are supported. Test each claim against the passage. An answer can go beyond what we know without being proved false.
Working the answers
- A
The passage calls violence an extreme form of aggression. That distinguishes it from aggression that does not reach that extreme. A captures that distinction, so it is supported and is not our answer.
- BCorrect
We are told that the relevant self-expression is different from violence. We are not told that it is generally free of aggression. Since aggression can be nonviolent, the self-expression could be aggressive without conflicting with the passage.
For example, a forceful demand could express a person's needs without involving violence. We do not have to establish that this is the usual form of self-expression. The point is that excluding the violent extreme does not exclude the broader category. B makes that extra move and therefore is not established.
- C
The claim about culturally conditioned violent reactions gives us behavior influenced by culture. That directly supports the modest statement that some behaviors are influenced by the cultures people live in. The passage need not address every behavior to support C.
- D
The opening says the self-expression sufficient for survival under normal conditions is distinct from violence. That supplies a nonviolent way to survive in normal circumstances. D keeps both the survival point and its ordinary-conditions limit.
- E
The anthropologist attributes the violent responses under discussion to cultural conditioning. E restates that account in terms of the person's cultural environment. We cannot reject it merely because we might question the anthropologist's real-world explanation; the question asks us to use that explanation as given.
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