PrepTest 154, Section 3, Question 21
In the absence of international statutes prohibiting nations(426 more words not shown)
Which one of the following(9 more words not shown)
- APreventing transboundary harm(11 more words not shown)
- BInternational law is(15 more words not shown)
- CMany scholars believe(18 more words not shown)
- DThe debate regarding(21 more words not shown)
- ESolutions to international(24 more words not shown)
Reading the passage
We've already identified the scholars' misdirected effort: they treat nations' stated ideals as established customs and look to those customs for a basis for court decisions. The ending redirects attention toward treaties and direct negotiations, where the author thinks progress is more likely.
What we’re looking for
Look for that constructive conclusion. Our prediction began with a criticism of the scholarship; the main-point answer can capture the better direction the criticism supports.
Working the answers
- A
Economic interests might help explain a country's behavior, but the author doesn't discuss that conflict. This replaces the criticism of a scholarly approach with a different argument about why nations pollute.
- B
The author calls the professed environmental ideals an ideological system, not international law as a whole. And those ideals reflect what nations say they support, not what they actually do. B changes both the subject and the direction of that distinction.
- C
This attributes a comparison about passing laws to the scholars. The author is the one urging a shift toward treaties and negotiations. We aren't told that the scholars already endorse that view, and passing international laws isn't the approach the opening says they are taking.
- D
The author challenges reliance on these supposed customs as a firm basis for court decisions. This instead endorses the debate about their legal status as critical to identifying violations. It moves in the opposite direction from the recommendation.
- ECorrect
This captures the practical direction of the final paragraph: treaties and negotiations offer a more promising route to resolving environmental conflicts than court decisions grounded in supposed customary norms. The earlier distinction between professions and practice explains why scholars should redirect their effort. E emphasizes where solutions are likely to come from, rather than repeating our wording about the scholars' mistake.
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