PrepTest 128, Section 3, Question 16
The primary task of a university is to(49 more words not shown)
Which one of the following(8 more words not shown)
- AIn order to(10 more words not shown)
- BLack of financial(12 more words not shown)
- CEffective teaching is(6 more words not shown)
- DLack of funds(10 more words not shown)
- ENew means of(7 more words not shown)
Reading the argument
Research might initially sound like a separate activity from teaching, but the author explains why the two are connected. Professors must keep up with developments in their disciplines to teach well, and doing that requires research.
Now introduce the funding problem. If universities can't adequately support that research, professors lose support for something they need to teach effectively. That gives us an indirect connection from research funding to the university's educational mission.
What we’re looking for
The argument makes sense on the premises we're given. Its final point is that insufficient research funding harms the university's ability to educate. For the main-conclusion question, that's the claim we want. The earlier statements explain why the lack of funds has that consequence.
Working the answers
- A
The need for research is one of the reasons supporting the conclusion. It connects research with good teaching, allowing the author to explain why insufficient funding hurts education. A stops before that final consequence.
- B
Calling the funding shortage “the root” of ineffective teaching goes beyond saying that it adversely affects teaching. Poor instruction could also result from weak teaching skills, badly designed courses, or other problems. The author identifies a source of harm without making it the fundamental explanation for ineffective teaching generally.
- C
Education as the university's primary mission is the starting point. It explains why the eventual effect on teaching matters, but it doesn't state the conclusion about insufficient research funds.
- DCorrect
Reduced educational quality is the harm to the university's central mission. D combines the cause and effect the author argues for: a lack of research funding reduces the quality of the education provided.
- E
Finding new funding methods might be one response to the problem. But the author doesn't make that recommendation. The stated conclusion diagnoses the effect of insufficient funds; it doesn't select a method for solving the shortage.
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