PrepTest 141, Section 3, Question 27
It is generally believed that while in some(434 more words not shown)
Which one of the following(9 more words not shown)
- Achagrin at the(10 more words not shown)
- Bconcern that policy(16 more words not shown)
- Cskepticism about the(13 more words not shown)
- Dconviction that the(16 more words not shown)
- Eeagerness to persuade(13 more words not shown)
Reading the passage
The author repeatedly questions the public's voluntary-versus-involuntary shortcut. Calling a risk voluntary may reflect selective attention or an unspoken judgment about the activity's purpose. The attitude is skeptical of that shortcut as a general policy guide, while offering a more explicit basis for decisions.
Working the answers
- A
The argument is not about people misjudging the relative probability or size of different risks. It concerns how they classify risks and use those classifications in policy judgments.
- B
The author does question the public's emphasis, but does not predict excessive regulation. The proposed change concerns the basis for decisions, not a stated need for less regulation overall.
- CCorrect
This captures both the skepticism and its target: laypeople's intuitions are unreliable as a general guide to government risk-management policy. The flying and skydiving examples supply the reasons for that criticism.
- D
Saving lives is the general rule, not the sole permissible consideration. The final paragraph expressly allows departures when supported by more specific reasons.
- E
The author criticizes problems in lay judgments, not subtle biases distorting experts' risk analyses. This switches whose thinking is being questioned.
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