PrepTest 144, Section 2, Question 13
Some of the politicians who strongly supported free(27 more words not shown)
If the statement above is(10 more words not shown)
- ASome of the(25 more words not shown)
- BNot all politicians(23 more words not shown)
- CSome of the(20 more words not shown)
- DNot all politicians(23 more words not shown)
- ESome of the(24 more words not shown)
Reading the argument
Supporting one trade agreement doesn't mean supporting every possible expansion of it.
These politicians strongly supported free trade among Canada, the United States, and Mexico. Some now refuse to endorse extending it to other Latin American countries. We might wonder what they think is different about those countries. But the question doesn't ask us to explain their behavior. It asks what must be true.
What we’re looking for
Stay with the fact we're given: among the earlier supporters, some are not public supporters of the expansion now. We can test the answers against that.
Working the answers
- A
This begins with politicians who publicly support the expansion. We aren't told anything about that group's earlier position. For all we know, every current supporter also supported the original agreement. A adds a contrast the passage doesn't establish.
- B
Like A, this makes a claim about the earlier views of people who now publicly support expansion. The passage instead identifies some earlier supporters who refuse to endorse expansion. Those are different groups. We cannot use a fact about people withholding support to establish the makeup of the group giving support.
- C
Maybe they have always favored free trade among those three countries and always opposed extending it further. Their positions would be completely consistent over time. The word 'now' tells us when they are refusing public support; it doesn't tell us they previously held a different view on the expansion.
- DCorrect
If some of the original supporters refuse to support the expansion publicly, then not all original supporters publicly support it. This restates the same fact. A must-be-true answer doesn't have to reveal something surprising; an accurate restatement is enough.
- E
Refusing to support something publicly isn't the same as publicly opposing it. A politician could remain silent, avoid committing, or decline to endorse the proposal without speaking against it. The passage establishes the absence of public support from some earlier supporters, not the presence of public opposition.
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