PrepTest 104, Section 4, Question 18
Book publishers have traditionally published a few books(48 more words not shown)
Which one of the following(8 more words not shown)
- ABook publishers have(7 more words not shown)
- BThere has been(12 more words not shown)
- CIn the past,(11 more words not shown)
- DThere have always(11 more words not shown)
- EIn recent years,(9 more words not shown)
Reading the argument
Fewer worthwhile books are getting published. Does that mean publishers care more about money, or could something else explain the drop?
The author's explanation initially sounds plausible. A publisher might once have accepted a book because it was worth reading, even without expecting much profit. Publishing fewer of those books could reflect a greater focus on money. But that isn't the only possible story.
What if publishers are putting out fewer books altogether? Both profitable books and books chosen for their intrinsic value could be declining. The number of worthwhile, unprofitable books could fall while their share of everything published stays the same. That would give us a reason to question the supposed shift in priorities.
What we’re looking for
For the weakener, my main prediction is a change in overall publishing activity that explains the lower number. More broadly, I'd like a reason for the decline that doesn't require publishers to have become more interested in profit. Let's see whether the answers supply one.
Working the answers
- A
Being very interested in money already doesn't prevent becoming even more interested. A publisher could have cared a great deal about profit in the past and give it still greater priority now. A doesn't challenge the change the author alleges.
- BCorrect
This gives us a different explanation from my main prediction: there may be fewer books of intrinsic merit available to publish. A publisher could still want to publish worthwhile books, but find fewer suitable manuscripts arriving at its desk.
The answer doesn't say that every recent book is bad or that good books have disappeared. A notable decline in quality is enough to make a shortage of suitable work a plausible explanation. Fewer valuable books being published need not reflect a reduced willingness to publish them. That weakens the inference about the publishers' priorities.
- C
An unexpected profit is different from a profit the publisher anticipated when choosing the book. Past surprises don't establish why publishers now select fewer books of intrinsic value. Those surprises might provide a financial reason to keep publishing such books, but C doesn't give us the missing explanation for the current decline or show that the publishers' priorities have stayed the same.
- D
These are authors' demands, not publishers' priorities. The answer also describes something that has always happened, without explaining a recent change in publication decisions. It doesn't show why publishers would now produce fewer books of intrinsic value while remaining equally committed to them.
- E
This initially sounds close to my concern about a shrinking market, but declining profits aren't the same as fewer books being published overall. Profits could fall for several reasons.
More importantly, E doesn't show that publishers have avoided becoming more focused on money. Lower profits could even prompt them to prioritize profitable titles. B supplies a reason tied to the availability of valuable books themselves; E gives an industry result without establishing the alternative explanation we need.
More Weaken questions
Learn the LSAT our way
Our platform drills Weaken questions at your level and adjusts as you improve.