PrepTest 142, Section 3, Question 9
"Stealing thunder" is a courtroom strategy that consists(464 more words not shown)
Which one of the following(9 more words not shown)
- AAlthough there are(23 more words not shown)
- BThe commonly practiced(20 more words not shown)
- CLawyers' commonly held(20 more words not shown)
- DThe risks involved(24 more words not shown)
- EResearch designed to(26 more words not shown)
Reading the passage
We've already predicted the main point: stealing thunder can be an effective courtroom strategy, though it isn't foolproof. Most of the explanation shows why it should work, using simulated trials and several psychological mechanisms.
What we’re looking for
Look for that favorable overall assessment and its support. The final warning qualifies the strategy's usefulness; it doesn't turn the whole discussion into an argument against using it.
Working the answers
- A
The research distinction makes this wrong. The second paragraph expressly says no empirical research has directly tested stealing thunder in actual trials. The reported trials were simulated. A changes the kind of evidence we have.
- B
This elevates a possible drawback into the central claim. The author spends most of the discussion explaining benefits, then identifies limits. A warning about unintended consequences doesn't capture that overall favorable case.
- CCorrect
This connects lawyers' belief in the technique with the psychological explanations supporting it. It fits our prediction: the strategy has a reasoned basis, including credibility, preparation for persuasion, reduced novelty and framing.
- D
Very damaging information can create a problem, but that is a limitation on the technique rather than the main point. Nor does the author generally recommend avoiding it because the risks outweigh the benefits.
- E
The simulated-trial findings suggest effectiveness; the text doesn't say that this research also identified the strategy's general limitations. Those limits emerge in the author's psychological discussion. E attributes more to the research than we are told.
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