PrepTest 110, Section 2, Question 14
Some people claim that every human discovery or(42 more words not shown)
Which one of the following,(10 more words not shown)
- AAll claims that(4 more words not shown)
- BMost people do(5 more words not shown)
- CNo claims that(7 more words not shown)
- DEvery claim is(7 more words not shown)
- EEvery interpretation is(4 more words not shown)
Reading the argument
If everything we do counts as self-expression, what does calling an invention self-expression tell us?
I can see the author's complaint. On that very broad interpretation, describing a discovery as self-expression doesn't distinguish it from any other human activity. The claim might be true but trivial.
Still, does being trivial mean we aren't obliged to take it seriously? The author moves from a judgment about how informative the claim is to a judgment about whether it deserves serious attention. We need a connection between those ideas.
What we’re looking for
The question asks us to support the reasoning. I'd look for a rule saying a trivial claim doesn't merit serious consideration. That would explain why the author can set this interpretation aside until the other people offer something more interesting.
Working the answers
- A
This connects triviality with being uninteresting. It still doesn't connect either description with deserving no serious consideration. Something could be uninteresting and yet deserve attention for another reason. A stops before the judgment the conclusion needs.
- B
What most people do isn't automatically what they are justified in doing. People could commonly ignore trivial claims even when there is a reason to take one seriously. The argument concerns whether we are obliged to consider the claim, not how most people happen to behave.
- CCorrect
The author treats the current interpretation as trivial. C says trivial claims are not worthy of serious consideration. That directly supports the conclusion that we needn't take this claim seriously in its current form.
C supplies a standard for dismissing the claim, rather than merely describing it as dull or reporting other people's reactions. That is the missing connection we wanted.
- D
The possibility of an interesting interpretation doesn't tell us how to treat the interpretation currently offered. The author already leaves room for taking the claim seriously if a more interesting interpretation is supplied. D doesn't explain why the current trivial interpretation may be dismissed.
- E
This classifies interpretations as trivial or uninteresting, but says nothing about whether either kind deserves serious consideration. Even if we accepted the classification, we would still need the rule connecting it to the author's conclusion. C provides that rule.
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