PrepTest 144, Section 2, Question 5
Political scientist: Some analysts point to the government's(62 more words not shown)
Which one of the following(11 more words not shown)
- AThe government helped(6 more words not shown)
- BThe message of(12 more words not shown)
- CThe government would(10 more words not shown)
- DThere are groups(15 more words not shown)
- EThe government feared(13 more words not shown)
Reading the argument
Letting people say something you already agree with is an easy test of your commitment to free expression. What happens when they disagree with you?
The analysts take acceptance of this rally as proof that the government supports freedom of popular expression. That goes too far. The government entirely supported the rally's message, so accepting it doesn't tell us whether the government tolerates opposing ideas.
But the political scientist goes further too. The conclusion isn't merely that this rally fails to prove the government supports free expression. It's that the government does not support free expression. Where is the evidence for that stronger claim?
What we’re looking for
We need something about how the government would respond to an opposing rally. If it would accept that rally as well, the political scientist's objection would fall apart. For the required-assumption question, look for the missing claim that the government would refuse to accept a rally whose message it opposed.
Working the answers
- A
The government could have organized the rally, or private citizens could have done it. Either way, the government agreed with the message. Who organized a friendly rally doesn't settle whether the government accepts opposing speech, so the argument doesn't require government involvement in organizing it.
- B
The rally could concern a government function that the government wants people to support. For example, its message could endorse a policy the government favors. The topic doesn't need to avoid government functions. What matters is whether the government accepts ideas it opposes.
- CCorrect
This supplies the missing claim about an opposing rally: the government would not accept it. The political scientist says genuine support for free expression requires accepting opposing ideas as well as agreeable ones. Without this assumption, accepting the friendly rally leaves open the possibility that the government would also accept criticism.
- D
Fear of a government response does not establish what the government would actually do. People could be mistaken about the danger, just as someone can fear a monster that isn't there. The argument needs a claim about the government's refusal to accept opposing expression, not a claim that some groups are afraid of such a refusal.
- E
The government's fear of a backlash would tell us something about its motive for accepting this rally. It would still leave the crucial question unanswered: would the government accept a message it opposed? The political scientist's conclusion does not depend on this particular fear.
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