PrepTest 136, Section 1, Question 8
Passage A In this appeal of his criminal(491 more words not shown)
Passage A(262 more words not shown)
Passage B(237 more words not shown)
Which one of the following(9 more words not shown)
- ACriminal defendants do(21 more words not shown)
- BFingerprint evidence has(11 more words not shown)
- CThe error rate(10 more words not shown)
- DThere are a(15 more words not shown)
- EThere is a(12 more words not shown)
Reading the passage
Our main point for B was a set of problems: inconsistent standards, unknown odds of coincidental matches, and questionable evidence about error rates. We're looking for a description broad enough to cover all three.
What we’re looking for
B is critical, but criticism doesn't automatically amount to a recommendation to ban the evidence. Keep the answer within the conclusion the author actually supports.
Working the answers
- A
B doesn't discuss whether defendants get a fair opportunity to challenge evidence. It evaluates fingerprint identification itself, not the fairness of courtroom procedures.
- B
The phrase “too unreliable for use” goes beyond identifying serious unresolved problems. B never sets a threshold for admissibility or concludes that fingerprint evidence must be excluded from criminal trials. That stronger policy conclusion isn't the main point.
- C
The final test result raises doubts about claims of very low error, but error rates are only one part of B's criticism. This also states a general actual-versus-acknowledged comparison more firmly than B's limited testing evidence establishes. It leaves out the standards and probability problems.
- DCorrect
The phrase “a number of fundamental problems” covers the whole discussion. The author questions the rules for declaring a match, our knowledge of how often similarities occur by chance, and the quality of tests used to measure mistakes.
- E
No growing legal consensus is described. B gives reasons to question current practice; it doesn't tell us that more and more members of the legal community have adopted that view.
More Main Point questions
Learn the LSAT our way
Our platform drills Main Point questions at your level and adjusts as you improve.