PrepTest 107, Section 4, Question 15
Ambiguity inspires interpretation.(51 more words not shown)
The claim that ambiguity inspires(12 more words not shown)
- AIt is used(5 more words not shown)
- BIt is an(12 more words not shown)
- CIt is compatible(8 more words not shown)
- DIt is a(11 more words not shown)
- EIt sets out(8 more words not shown)
Reading the argument
“We” could refer to whom? All humans? A particular nation? A group of hockey players? And what does being “the measure” of something mean?
That uncertainty makes the opening claim easy to understand. When words leave room for different meanings, people try to interpret them. The passage gives two readings of the same saying: humans occupy a central place in the universe, or humans must rely on themselves to discover the truth.
Those aren't identical ideas. One concerns our importance; the other concerns how we obtain knowledge. I might find one reading more natural, but deciding which reading is right isn't the author's task. Their coexistence illustrates how ambiguous language invites interpretation.
What we’re looking for
We're asked what role the claim “Ambiguity inspires interpretation” plays. It's the general point supported by that example. The example doesn't need its own recommendation or a solution to the saying's ambiguity; it helps us understand and accept the claim made at the beginning.
Working the answers
- A
This treats the opening claim as support for some other conclusion. But the direction is the other way around: the different interpretations are offered to support the opening claim. The passage doesn't use that claim to establish a further main point.
- B
The saying is used as an example of ambiguity leading to interpretation. The general statement about ambiguity isn't an illustration proving that humans really are the measure of all things. The author describes readings of that saying without endorsing the saying as a conclusion.
- C
The claim is itself the argument's conclusion. Accepting “Ambiguity inspires interpretation” means accepting that conclusion, so the claim cannot be accepted while the same conclusion is rejected. C wrongly treats it as a statement independent of the position being supported.
- DCorrect
Other statements are intended to support this view. The two interpretations show the sort of response an ambiguous saying can inspire. That's what makes the opening claim the conclusion: it is the point the example gives us a reason to accept.
- E
The author doesn't present ambiguity as a problem to eliminate or explain how to make this saying unambiguous. The passage describes an effect of ambiguity and illustrates it. Recognizing that effect isn't the same as proposing to solve a difficulty.
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