PrepTest 147, Section 1, Question 14
Activist: President Zagel should resign, because she is(61 more words not shown)
Which one of the following(17 more words not shown)
- AA country whose(12 more words not shown)
- BThe leader of(18 more words not shown)
- CIf a president(23 more words not shown)
- DIf it can(17 more words not shown)
- EIt is more(27 more words not shown)
Reading the argument
Do people believe Zagel rigged the election, or did she actually do it? Those aren't the same. It's troubling to imagine forcing someone out because opponents spread a false accusation. Still, the activist's stated concern is that the widespread belief has made her unable to govern effectively.
Zagel doesn't answer that concern. She introduces a different one: another resignation would make the country look unstable. Even if that's true, it doesn't show that ineffective government is the better option. Now we have two considerations pulling in different directions.
What we’re looking for
The question asks for a principle favoring the activist despite Zagel's response. We'd want effective government to matter more than maintaining the country's reputation for stability. That would explain why she should resign even if the resignation creates the reputational problem she describes.
Working the answers
- A
We don't know whether this country's election procedures resist manipulation. Widespread suspicion of a rigged election doesn't establish that the procedures are secure or insecure. And a general prediction about eventual stability doesn't decide whether this president should stay despite being unable to govern effectively.
- B
This supports resignation when resignation is likely to improve the country's reputation for stability. Zagel predicts the opposite: her departure would damage that reputation. The activist's reason for resignation is ineffective government, so B doesn't give us a rule that applies to the activist's case.
- C
We aren't told how serious this scandal is compared with the earlier scandals. The fact that two previous presidents resigned doesn't establish that Zagel's situation is worse than theirs. Without that comparison, we can't apply this principle to justify her resignation.
- D
Conclusive proof of election rigging isn't given. That doesn't mean proof could never be obtained; it means the passage hasn't supplied the condition this principle requires. The activist bases the case on Zagel's inability to govern amid widespread suspicion, not on an established finding that she rigged the election.
- ECorrect
This directly ranks the competing concerns. The activist says Zagel can't govern effectively; Zagel says resigning would hurt the country's appearance of political stability. If effective government matters more, her concern about appearances doesn't outweigh the activist's reason for resignation. We don't need a rule that effective government outranks every conceivable concern—only one that settles this particular conflict in the activist's favor.
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