PrepTest 124, Section 2, Question 18
Tallulah: The columnist attributes the decline of interest(62 more words not shown)
Which one of the following(9 more words not shown)
- AContemporary fiction is(11 more words not shown)
- BThe columnist's claim(12 more words not shown)
- CThe view expressed(12 more words not shown)
- DPeople read as(16 more words not shown)
- EA large number(12 more words not shown)
Reading the argument
Maybe people are watching more television. That doesn't mean the quality of the novels has nothing to do with their declining appeal.
Tallulah's objection is that the columnist hasn't considered an important part of the picture: much contemporary fiction is poor, while good alternatives are available. I can see why that matters. I would still ask how much it explains. A badly written novel might lose readers because it's bad; that doesn't automatically explain declining interest in a well-written novel too. Pointing out a possible contributing factor isn't a complete explanation of the trend.
What we’re looking for
But we're asked for Tallulah's main conclusion, not to settle why interest declined. What is the quality comparison meant to support? Her claim that the columnist overlooked important evidence. That's my prediction. We should preserve its limited force: the explanation was formed without considering something relevant, rather than the explanation being entirely false.
Working the answers
- A
This turns evidence of a potentially relevant factor into a direct explanation of contemporary fiction's unpopularity. Tallulah's main point is that the columnist omitted relevant evidence. Her description of poor fiction supports that criticism; it isn't presented as a complete replacement explanation. A leaves out the claim the argument is organized to establish.
- B
An incomplete explanation need not be false. Consumerism, technology, or a preference for television could contribute to the decline while poor-quality novels also mattered. Tallulah challenges the columnist's failure to consider that other evidence, not the possibility that the listed factors play any role.
- CCorrect
The columnist formed the view without considering all the relevant evidence. That's Tallulah's stated criticism, and the contrast between poor fiction and good alternatives explains why she makes it. “Pertinent” simply means relevant to the issue.
- D
Having good newspapers and nonfiction available doesn't show that people read as much as before. Nor are we given a count establishing what most people now read. D adds claims about the amount and distribution of reading instead of stating Tallulah's criticism of the columnist.
- E
This is part of Tallulah's evidence. Good alternatives to novels are available, and she thinks that fact belongs in an explanation of declining interest in novels. Ask why she mentions it: to show that the columnist overlooked relevant information. E supplies a reason for the main conclusion without stating that conclusion.
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