PrepTest 113, Section 4, Question 8
Commentator: In the new century, only nations with(64 more words not shown)
Which one of the following(6 more words not shown)
- Adepend on a(8 more words not shown)
- Bdecrease if that(10 more words not shown)
- Cbe ensured by(10 more words not shown)
- Dbe threatened only(13 more words not shown)
- Ebe best maintained(10 more words not shown)
Reading the argument
Seeing how other people live might make me appreciate my own traditions. Why assume exposure will dissolve them?
That is my reaction to the commentator's prediction. Someone could encounter a different custom and prefer the familiar one. But the task is to complete the argument, not to replace the commentator's account with ours. We need to follow what that account says will happen.
Start with the requirement for prosperity. A nation cannot have great economic prosperity without the latest electronic technology. That doesn't promise prosperity to every nation with the technology. It tells us what a prosperous nation must have.
What we’re looking for
Then follow the consequences the commentator supplies: the technology exposes people to life in other countries; that exposure increases questioning of their customs; and that questioning leads to the customs' dissolution. So I'd complete the sentence by saying that a wealthy nation's cultural identity will likely become less stable. The chain explains that prediction even though we might question a link in real life.
Working the answers
- A
A fair distribution of technology isn't discussed. Even if every nation received the latest equipment, the commentator's account would still predict increased exposure and questioning. We have no rule saying a just distribution preserves cultural stability.
- BCorrect
A high level of economic wealth puts the nation in the group that must have the latest technology. The passage then carries that group through exposure to other cultures, questioning of its own traditions and dissolution of those traditions. That supports decreased stability.
Notice the direction: wealth requires the technology, so wealth gives us an entry into the stated sequence. We don't need to claim that technology guarantees wealth. Nor do we have to agree with the forecast to recognize the conclusion that follows the commentator's reasoning.
- C
We haven't been told what protective laws would accomplish. Perhaps they would help; perhaps they wouldn't. The argument doesn't give us a legal solution, and we shouldn't insert one while completing its prediction about the effects of technology.
- D
Having access to technology and acquiring technical skills are different. Someone could see images of other countries without being highly skilled at the technology. More importantly, the argument gives a route to cultural instability through access and exposure, without requiring a failure to learn skills. D's 'only if' imposes a requirement we were never given.
- E
The passage doesn't compare fast and gradual learning or identify a best way to preserve culture. Gradual adoption might sound like a possible response to the concern, but its success isn't established. We need the predicted consequence of the chain, not an untested recommendation for avoiding it.
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