PrepTest 150, Section 3, Question 25
Essayist writing in 2012: At its onset, a(48 more words not shown)
Which one of the following(10 more words not shown)
- AA medium cannot(12 more words not shown)
- BNo electronic medium(12 more words not shown)
- CThe ultimate form(9 more words not shown)
- DA medium cannot(9 more words not shown)
- EOne medium can(12 more words not shown)
Reading the argument
Maybe e-books will eventually do things print books don't. Imagine an e-book that incorporates video instead of simply displaying the printed text. I can see why the essayist, writing in 2012, thinks the medium might still develop.
But there are two questions here. Why does using old content mean the medium hasn't reached its final form? Perhaps reproducing print content is all it will do. And even if it will change, why can't we understand it before it reaches that final form? Something can be unfinished without being incomprehensible.
What we’re looking for
We're asked for a principle that supports the reasoning. I'd look for a rule connecting understanding a medium to seeing what it eventually becomes. The essayist needs more than the observation that e-books currently borrow their content from print.
Working the answers
- A
This requires understanding earlier media first. But the essayist never says we fail to understand print books. We could understand the earlier medium perfectly and still face the essayist's concern about the e-book's unfinished development. A supplies a different requirement without showing that it hasn't been met.
- B
This ranks how closely electronic media resemble other media. The argument needs a connection between the e-book's stage of development and our ability to understand it. Whether it resembles print more than another electronic medium doesn't supply that connection.
- C
Technology could determine what form e-books eventually take, but why would that prevent understanding them now? C explains what might influence the final form, not why observing further development is required for understanding.
- DCorrect
This connects understanding specifically to observing the evolution of the medium's content. The essayist says e-books are still in the initial phase of taking content from print books. D gives us a reason that this early phase isn't enough: we need to see the content evolve before we can understand the medium.
My prediction focused on needing to see the final form. D supports the argument through the related, more specific requirement to observe content development. It doesn't promise that watching the content evolve will by itself give us complete understanding. It says we can't understand the medium without that observation, which supports the essayist's call to wait.
- E
Richer and more varied content might be a requirement for replacing another medium. The conclusion here concerns understanding the e-book, not proving that it will successfully replace print. E doesn't tell us why borrowing print content currently prevents that understanding.
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