PrepTest 129, Section 2, Question 13
Administrators of educational institutions are enthusiastic about the(65 more words not shown)
The statement that the educational(25 more words not shown)
- AIt is presented(10 more words not shown)
- BIt is a(10 more words not shown)
- CIt is a(8 more words not shown)
- DIt is a(9 more words not shown)
- EIt is the(3 more words not shown)
Reading the argument
The same prospect excites administrators and worries teachers: computers might let schools offer more courses with fewer teachers. I can see why the groups react differently. Administrators anticipate doing more with fewer staff, while teachers may worry about their jobs. We might separately ask whether offering more courses is worthwhile, but that is not the author's objection.
The author says the shared belief is mistaken. Computerized instruction supposedly takes more instructor time, not less. On that account, reducing the teaching staff would mean reducing the courses offered rather than expanding them.
What we’re looking for
Notice what is being rejected. The author is not merely saying that administrators should feel less excited or teachers should feel less worried. The argument challenges the claim giving rise to both reactions: more courses with fewer teachers. For this role question, that statement is the position the author sets out to refute.
Working the answers
- A
The belief helps explain the administrators' enthusiasm and teachers' fear in the setup. But the author does not then offer it as a possible explanation to establish. The argument turns against the belief and supplies reasons for rejecting it. A misses its role in the argument as a whole.
- B
The author does not accept the supposed problem and propose a way to solve it. The author denies the underlying claim. Imagine someone afraid of a monster in a closet: saying there is no monster differs from explaining how to deal with the monster. Here, the response challenges the alleged ability to expand courses while reducing teachers.
- CCorrect
The statement is exactly what the author calls mistaken. The later claims about greater demands on instructors and reduced course offerings are intended to show why that statement is false.
- D
The author reports this belief but does not accept it as support for the conclusion. It is the target of the argument. The support comes from the claims about the time computerized instruction requires and what a staff reduction would do to course offerings.
- E
The main point is that this belief is mistaken, not that it is true. Selecting the reported belief would give the author the position the argument rejects. Keep the administrators' and teachers' shared assumption separate from the author's assessment of it.
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