PrepTest 143, Section 3, Question 8
The local news media have long heralded Clemens(53 more words not shown)
Which one of the following(10 more words not shown)
- AClemens has long(11 more words not shown)
- BThe local news(10 more words not shown)
- CThe local news(8 more words not shown)
- DReporters from the(14 more words not shown)
- EThe local newspaper's(13 more words not shown)
Reading the argument
One politician isn't every public figure.
First, I have a question about Clemens himself: being caught up in a scandal doesn't automatically tell us what he did. Could someone be associated with dishonest people without sharing their dishonesty? That is a possibility worth checking.
Even if we accept the author's claim that the media got Clemens wrong, there's another jump. Why does that one case establish that local media are too deferential toward public figures generally? The editor's admission about missed leads makes the coverage of Clemens look worse. It still doesn't show us how the media cover everyone else.
What we’re looking for
Now we're asked for the overall conclusion. What claim were we just challenging? The broad claim that local media show too much deference toward public figures. The Clemens story is supposed to support that judgment. We can identify the point without agreeing that one example establishes it.
Working the answers
- A
This is the starting fact: the local media portrayed Clemens as honest. The author uses what happened afterward to criticize that portrayal and draw a broader conclusion. A leaves out the judgment the example is meant to support.
- B
This is a conclusion about Clemens's coverage, but the argument goes further. The author says that mistake demonstrates excessive deference toward public figures. B stops at the particular case rather than giving the overall conclusion drawn from it.
- CCorrect
The local media show too much deference toward public figures. “Deference” here means being overly respectful or unwilling to challenge them. The praise of Clemens and failure to pursue leads are offered as evidence of that broader problem. This is the claim those details are supposed to establish.
- D
The neglected leads provide additional evidence against the media's handling of Clemens. The word “Even” introduces further support for the criticism, not a replacement for the broader point. D is something the author uses to argue that the media are too deferential.
- E
This would help connect the Clemens case to the general claim: his treatment would be representative of how other public figures are treated. But a missing connection that could support the reasoning isn't the same as its stated conclusion. The author's point is excessive deference, not merely that Clemens's treatment is typical.
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