PrepTest 117, Section 3, Question 9
Rossi: It is undemocratic for people to live(108 more words not shown)
Smith's statements can most directly(14 more words not shown)
- AA democratic government(11 more words not shown)
- BChildren have rights(12 more words not shown)
- CNews programs for(15 more words not shown)
- DIf there are(18 more words not shown)
- EIf parents do(19 more words not shown)
Reading the argument
Children may live with the consequences of decisions made now. That doesn't settle whether they should vote now.
Rossi wants to give them the vote because their interests can differ from their parents' interests. Smith accepts the difference and offers a serious example: deficits incurred by one generation can affect the next generation's standard of living. This isn't just a dispute over bedtime or candy. Children can have a real stake in long-term policy.
But Smith still objects to giving them voting responsibility. Being affected by a problem doesn't necessarily mean being prepared to decide what should be done about it. Even telling children about the issues would not, in Smith's view, overcome their overly simple ideas about solutions and different time horizons.
What we’re looking for
We're asked which view Smith's statement could most directly support. I don't have a precise answer in mind yet. What I do want to preserve is Smith's position: the concern about children's different interests does not justify giving them the vote. An answer can draw out an implication of that position, but it shouldn't invent a different policy Smith never discussed.
Working the answers
- A
Smith doesn't offer a general rule about everything a democratic government may do. The argument concerns whether children should vote. It doesn't establish that democracy prevents every infringement of every citizen's rights.
- B
Children having rights that every political authority must respect is a broader claim than Smith makes. Smith acknowledges differing interests and opposes giving children voting responsibility. That doesn't supply a general theory of children's rights or obligations applying to any political authority.
- C
Smith explicitly considers children being told about the issues and says the difficulties would remain. A news program might supply information, but it wouldn't by itself resolve Smith's concern about how children understand solutions or think about time. C promises enough preparation where Smith says information alone isn't enough.
- DCorrect
Smith says children cannot be given voting responsibility. If withholding the vote limits full democracy, that position requires accepting the resulting limitation.
Notice the if. D doesn't claim that Smith has proved that denying children the vote limits democracy. It says that any such limitation must be accepted, which follows the direction of Smith's argument: the concern doesn't override the objection to children voting.
- E
Smith never promises that someone else will adequately represent children's interests if their parents don't. Smith can acknowledge a problem with representation and still reject voting as its solution. E adds a replacement representative we were never given.
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