PrepTest 119, Section 3, Question 14
Political scientist: The economies of a number of(30 more words not shown)
Which one of the following(9 more words not shown)
- AAny nation that(20 more words not shown)
- BAny nation that(13 more words not shown)
- CAny nation that(18 more words not shown)
- DOnly nations that(13 more words not shown)
- EOnly nations that(18 more words not shown)
Reading the argument
Germany can help. Does that mean Germany should help?
Let's accept the stated situation: these economies are struggling, and Germany is the only neighboring country with the resources to revive them. That establishes an ability. It doesn't automatically establish a duty. Perhaps Germany has reasons to use those resources at home instead. We haven't been given a rule for deciding what it ought to do.
What we’re looking for
The question asks for a principle that helps justify the recommendation. We need to connect the ability to provide this help with a reason to provide it. A rule saying that a country in this unique position should use its capacity would carry us from the premise to the conclusion. We don't have to decide whether that is the best rule for international affairs; we need the rule that supports this argument.
Working the answers
- A
This starts by assuming a nation alone has an obligation to help. But an obligation is what the argument needs to establish. Knowing Germany has the resources doesn't tell us it meets A's starting description. The answer also says who should be the only provider of aid, while the conclusion simply says Germany should begin helping.
- BCorrect
A nation that alone has the capacity to revive neighboring economies should use that capacity. Germany meets the stated description, so the principle supports the recommendation that it begin aiding those countries. B supplies the missing link between can and should.
- C
This concerns a country able to afford aid to just a few nations. We haven't been told that Germany's capacity has that limit or that the countries in question are exactly the few it can afford to aid. The answer also ties the recommendation to that affordability limit rather than to Germany's unique ability to revive these neighboring economies.
- D
Read what only does. This limits who should exercise the capacity: countries with the unique ability are the only eligible ones. It doesn't say every country meeting that description should actually do so. Germany could meet the restriction and still have no obligation to help. We need a rule that tells Germany to act, not merely one that excludes other countries.
- E
Again, the answer gives a restriction: only countries that can afford to help just a few ought to help those few. It doesn't establish that Germany has this limited capacity, and meeting such a restriction wouldn't by itself require action anyway. E cannot take us from the resources Germany has to the recommendation the author makes.
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