PrepTest 127, Section 3, Question 3
Mariah: Joanna has argued that Adam should not(54 more words not shown)
Which one of the following(9 more words not shown)
- AA suspicion of(13 more words not shown)
- BExpertise should be(9 more words not shown)
- CThe ability of(14 more words not shown)
- DIn selecting a(11 more words not shown)
- EA contest judge,(14 more words not shown)
Reading the argument
Joanna worries that Adam will favor classmates who have entered the contest. My first question is whether he will know who wrote each essay. If the essays are anonymous, that could help with the concern.
Mariah says the essays aren't identified by author and that Adam's classmates aren't his friends. Those facts give us reasons to question Joanna's objection, although they don't eliminate every possibility of bias. Adam might recognize a writing style or know what someone planned to write about. He could also favor a classmate who wasn't a friend.
But Mariah ends up agreeing that Adam should not judge, for a different reason: he has no experience critiquing essays. That is the reason we need to support. How demanding is this contest? If it were an informal fourth-grade essay contest, would a judge necessarily need previous experience? Mariah is treating his lack of experience as grounds for excluding him, and I want a principle explaining why that qualification matters.
What we’re looking for
The stem asks for a principle that most helps justify Mariah's argument. We should connect the experience concern to the recommendation that Adam not judge. Supporting Joanna's concern about bias would miss the particular reasoning Mariah uses.
Working the answers
- A
This could help explain why Mariah is unconvinced by Joanna's objection. But dismissing a suspicion of bias doesn't support disqualifying Adam because he lacks experience. It also doesn't establish that he should judge; it only rejects one possible reason for keeping him out.
- BCorrect
If expertise should be the primary prerequisite for serving as a judge, Adam's lack of experience critiquing essays becomes a strong reason to question his suitability. This connects the qualification Mariah says he lacks with the role she says he shouldn't fill. The rule need not make expertise the only consideration to strengthen that argument.
- C
This puts objective decision-making ahead of expertise. Mariah's final objection goes the other way: whatever we think about possible bias, Adam's lack of experience is a reason to exclude him. C gives priority to a different qualification and doesn't establish why his inexperience should disqualify him.
- D
Like C, this favors fairness concerns over expertise. Mariah is trying to support her conclusion through the expertise concern. A rule saying that fairness should override that concern does not supply the needed support.
- E
This would make a possibility of bias a reason to exclude even a highly qualified judge. That is closer to Joanna's objection. Mariah relies on Adam's lack of experience, so we need a principle explaining the importance of that qualification. Sharing a conclusion with Joanna doesn't make their reasons interchangeable.
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