PrepTest 113, Section 4, Question 1
Criminals often have an unusual self-image.(52 more words not shown)
Which one of the following(5 more words not shown)
- Athey ought to(5 more words not shown)
- Bthey are perceived(8 more words not shown)
- Ctheir actions are(3 more words not shown)
- Dthe criminal justice(4 more words not shown)
- Ethey deserve only(6 more words not shown)
Reading the argument
Calling it borrowing makes taking the money sound much more innocent. An embezzler might think, “I'm going to put it back.” Perhaps the person even intends to do that. Either way, the description avoids admitting to theft.
The examples of violent crimes make a similar move. Saying the victim deserved it presents the action as justified. Saying it wasn't your fault denies responsibility. We don't have to accept either excuse to understand the picture these people have of themselves.
What we’re looking for
The blank asks us to finish the thought from their perspective. I'd predict that they see their actions as justified, or themselves as innocent. Keep that perspective in the answer: we're describing their characterization, not deciding whether their actions actually were justified.
Working the answers
- A
Not seeing yourself as guilty doesn't mean thinking you deserve a reward. Someone who says the harm wasn't their fault might simply want to avoid blame. Nothing in these excuses takes the additional step of asking for praise or a benefit.
- B
A denial of responsibility doesn't identify another criminal, much less make the speaker that criminal's victim. The examples don't give us this account of what happened. They concern how people excuse their own actions.
- CCorrect
This expresses the prediction in different words. In their own account, they weren't really stealing, they were justified in using violence, or they weren't responsible for the harm. Those descriptions let them regard their actions as not truly criminal.
We aren't concluding that the crimes didn't happen. The phrase about their own characterization does essential work: C completes a claim about their view of the situation.
- D
These people don't have to criticize the entire justice system to excuse themselves. A person could consider the system generally fair while denying that their own conduct deserves blame. No example supplies the broad judgment about the system that D adds.
- E
A light sentence is still a proposed punishment. The passage doesn't tell us what sentences these people believe appropriate. Their excuses concern guilt or justification, so we shouldn't replace that discussion with a specific view about how much punishment they deserve.
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