PrepTest 147, Section 4, Question 10
Journalist: Some critics argue that as the entertainment(25 more words not shown)
The journalist's conclusion is properly(9 more words not shown)
- AThe news reporting(10 more words not shown)
- BThe greatest journalists(7 more words not shown)
- CJournalistic greatness involves(9 more words not shown)
- DEntertainment and news(5 more words not shown)
- EThe worst journalists(6 more words not shown)
Reading the argument
Being entertaining doesn't seem incompatible with doing serious reporting. A journalist could explain difficult facts in an engaging way. On the other hand, chasing entertainment could distract from careful reporting, so I can understand the critics' concern.
What we’re looking for
But what does calling someone a 'great' journalist tell us? Great by which measure? Perhaps that label reflects popularity or another achievement rather than the caliber of the reporting. The argument treats greatness as if it already settles the quality question. To establish the journalist's conclusion, connect those descriptions. If the greatest journalists produced the highest-caliber reporting, then the people described as most entertaining also supplied the highest quality. That would give the response the comparison it needs.
Working the answers
- ACorrect
The greatest journalists are already described as the most entertaining. A adds that their reporting was of the highest caliber. Now the author's examples combine the highest entertainment with the highest reporting quality, opposing the critics' claimed tradeoff. The answer connects the label 'greatest' with the particular standard the critics discuss.
- B
Calling them entertainers who report news still leaves the caliber of that reporting open. Someone could entertain an audience while reporting carelessly. B strengthens the entertainment description without supplying the missing quality comparison.
- C
Valuable in some sense could mean enjoyable, commercially successful, or useful for some purpose other than high-quality reporting. We need greatness connected to caliber specifically. This broad description of value leaves that connection unstated.
- D
News and entertainment could coexist while increased entertainment still came with lower reporting quality. The critics don't say the categories can never overlap; they claim a tradeoff as entertainment increases. D therefore doesn't establish the high-caliber counterexample the journalist needs.
- E
The behavior of the worst journalists doesn't tell us whether the greatest journalists produced high-caliber work. Being more entertaining than informative could even fit the critics' concern in those cases. E doesn't connect the author's chosen examples with the quality standard at issue.
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