PrepTest 129, Section 2, Question 17
Poetry journal patron: Everybody who publishes in The(94 more words not shown)
Which one of the following,(7 more words not shown)
- ANeither The Brick(16 more words not shown)
- BMany of the(22 more words not shown)
- CThe only compensation(24 more words not shown)
- DThe Brick Wall(16 more words not shown)
- EThe Brick Wall(23 more words not shown)
Reading the argument
The Brick Wall Review gets permission to reprint poems from its regular issues without paying additional compensation. Its anthology sales then cover most operating expenses. That describes a successful business arrangement, but can another magazine count on copying it?
My first concern would be whether the poems are equally appealing. An anthology of very different work might not attract the same buyers. The patron anticipates that concern by saying most of the two magazines' poems are very similar.
Even so, the businesses could differ in other ways. What if the other magazine has poor marketing or limited distribution? A good anthology cannot sell to readers who never hear about it. Pricing and the existing audience could matter too. Similar poems do not settle whether the same strategy will produce similar financial results.
What we’re looking for
To weaken the recommendation, I would look for a relevant difference between the magazines that undermines the expectation of profitable anthology sales. The conclusion only promises less dependence on donations, so we need to challenge that prospective benefit.
Working the answers
- A
The magazines need not currently cover most expenses with donations for an anthology to reduce their dependence on them. A magazine receiving 9 percent of its funding from donations could reduce that to 8 percent. That would still be less dependence. A does not show the proposed source of income would fail.
- B
Rejected poems do not establish that an anthology from the other magazine would sell poorly. The magazines could have different preferences about particular pieces while publishing similar work overall. We would need further information connecting those rejection decisions with the financial result the patron predicts.
- C
This concerns compensation for appearing in regular issues, not the sales the proposed anthology would generate. The payment arrangement may matter to the poets, but receiving free copies does not show that the other magazine could not earn additional income through an anthology.
- D
The Brick Wall Review can still need donations after covering most expenses through anthologies. The patron does not claim that anthology income eliminates all need for donations. Using donations for remaining expenses is consistent with reducing dependence on them.
- ECorrect
The successful anthology contains something beyond the ordinary poems used in the comparison: additional work by famous poets. Those names and poems might attract buyers who would not buy a collection consisting only of the regular magazine's work.
That changes the comparison. Similarity between the two magazines' regular contents does not establish similarity between the anthologies they would sell. If the famous contributors help drive The Brick Wall Review's sales, merely republishing the other magazine's ordinary poems may not reproduce that success. E does not prove the proposed anthology would fail, but it undermines the patron's basis for expecting it to succeed.
More Weaken questions
Learn the LSAT our way
Our platform drills Weaken questions at your level and adjusts as you improve.