PrepTest 108, Section 4, Question 11
Much of mainstream thinking concerning juvenile delinquency in(460 more words not shown)
The author's attitude toward current(13 more words not shown)
- Aoptimistic that these(6 more words not shown)
- Bcertain that these(6 more words not shown)
- Cconfident that these(6 more words not shown)
- Dconvinced that these(4 more words not shown)
- Econfident that these(7 more words not shown)
Reading the passage
The writer thinks current policies need to change. Incarceration may reinforce criminal behavior, while responses that encourage maturation could work better. So our starting point is clearly critical of the current approach.
What we’re looking for
B and D may both initially look compatible with that criticism. We need to distinguish concern about an effect from certainty that it occurs.
Working the answers
- A
The writer doesn't praise detection rates. The objection concerns what happens when young offenders are incarcerated.
- B
This is tempting because the research raises exactly the worry that punishment can perpetuate delinquency. But the finding “suggests” incarceration “may have” that effect. B turns that qualified claim into certainty. We shouldn't need to decide whether the later acts happen before or after adulthood to reject that stronger commitment.
- C
The writer argues that the approach can be harmful and should change, not that current policies confidently serve society's good.
- DCorrect
The final paragraph directly recommends rehabilitation in the community instead of incarceration. That clearly supports revising the policies, even while the claims about their effects remain qualified.
- E
The worry is a harmful effect, not no effect. This would erase the concern motivating the recommendation.
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