PrepTest 133, Section 1, Question 3
A recent survey quizzed journalism students about the(58 more words not shown)
Which one of the following(9 more words not shown)
- AIt takes what(14 more words not shown)
- BIt regards the(14 more words not shown)
- CIt relies on(17 more words not shown)
- DIt employs language(12 more words not shown)
- EIt treats a(9 more words not shown)
Reading the argument
Journalism students don't necessarily want to read what everybody else wants to read.
They've chosen to study journalism. Their interest in serious government and political reporting might be part of what drew them to that field. The public includes many people who haven't made that choice. Those readers might enjoy celebrity gossip and lifestyle stories even if the surveyed students don't.
Let's accept the survey result. A significant majority of these students prefer serious stories. What does that tell us about the public's preferences? Without a reason to treat the students as typical readers, not enough to declare the publishing industry's assumptions false. Asking one interested group what it wants doesn't automatically reveal what everybody wants.
What we’re looking for
For the flaw question, keep the two groups in view: journalism students supplied the opinions; the conclusion concerns the public. The missing connection is that the students' preferences represent the broader group. That's what I want the correct answer to describe.
Working the answers
- A
The argument doesn't try to identify what causes people to prefer one kind of story. It uses a survey to infer whose preferences publishers have misunderstood. There's no proposed cause and effect being swapped. This is a problem with the surveyed group.
- B
An intention is a purpose someone had. This answer would fit reasoning like, 'The stories upset readers, so the publisher must have meant to upset them.' Our argument makes no such move. It draws a conclusion about the public's interests from students' opinions.
- CCorrect
The surveyed group is journalism students, and the group in the conclusion is the public. Students studying this particular subject are unlikely to be a neutral cross section of everybody who reads published stories. Their preferences could differ for exactly that reason.
We don't need to prove that the public loves gossip. We only need to see that the survey doesn't justify treating the students' stated interests as the public's interests. C identifies that specific weakness.
- D
This would involve unfairly describing people who disagree, perhaps dismissing them through loaded insults instead of addressing their position. The author doesn't do that. Reporting the students' dislike of gossip is not an unfair description of people who might reject the conclusion.
- E
The author doesn't admit the conclusion lacks support. The survey is offered as support; it just isn't good enough to establish what the public wants. Saying 'the conclusion isn't proved' also misses the precise reason it isn't proved. C identifies the mismatch between the surveyed students and the public.
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