PrepTest 120, Section 3, Question 5
Azadeh: The recent increase in the amount of(54 more words not shown)
Azadeh's and Ben's statements provide(10 more words not shown)
- Ait is likely(16 more words not shown)
- Bpeople can become(8 more words not shown)
- Cpeople ought to(10 more words not shown)
- Dthe rise in(17 more words not shown)
- Epeople can be(13 more words not shown)
Reading the argument
Maybe people buy organic food because they're worried about their own health. More production doesn't, by itself, tell us what motivates consumers.
What we’re looking for
That's the alternative Ben offers. Azadeh treats the increase as evidence of growing environmental concern, and that gives her hope for the planet. Ben says the shoppers are motivated only by personal health worries. They're disagreeing about what the trend tells us about people's motives. We don't have to decide which speaker is right, or whether organic food actually improves anyone's health, to identify that disagreement.
Working the answers
- A
Azadeh expresses hope for a healthier planet. Ben challenges her interpretation of shoppers' motives, not whether the planet can remain healthy under people's current eating habits. Self-interested choices might even have environmental benefits. We don't have a clear disagreement about this forecast.
- B
Wanting a health benefit doesn't establish that the benefit occurs. Ben describes what buyers worry about; he doesn't demonstrate that organic food makes them healthier. Azadeh doesn't take a position on that health comparison either. The effect of the food is different from the reason people buy it.
- C
Neither speaker says how concerned people ought to be. Azadeh thinks concern has increased, and Ben disputes what this buying pattern shows. They could agree that people should care more, disagree about that, or have no stated view. We can't infer a disagreement about an obligation from their disagreement about motives.
- DCorrect
Azadeh says the rise in production indicates that consumers are taking more interest in the environment. Ben rejects that interpretation: he says buyers care only about their own health. So Azadeh accepts this claim about what the increase shows, while Ben denies it. D captures the exact issue separating them.
- E
Whether people could be persuaded to care more is a further question. Someone who is currently self-interested might change, and someone who already cares might care even more. Neither speaker discusses the prospects for persuasion. They are interpreting the existing trend.
More Disagreement questions
Learn the LSAT our way
Our platform drills Disagreement questions at your level and adjusts as you improve.