PrepTest 156, Section 4, Question 19
I promised Bernie that I would answer his(59 more words not shown)
Which one of the following,(10 more words not shown)
- AAll there is(11 more words not shown)
- BNo person can(7 more words not shown)
- CThe person responsible(11 more words not shown)
- DOne need not(16 more words not shown)
- EMaking a promise(7 more words not shown)
Reading the argument
Bernie wanted to know whether the project had been approved. Did he get that information?
Yes. The speaker says Dorothy has the authority and hasn't made a decision yet. That tells Bernie approval hasn't happened. The speaker misunderstood the question as asking whether the speaker personally had approved it, but the actual response still supplied the project's status.
The promise was to answer the question. We don't need to establish who ought to approve the project or whether making promises is morally binding; we need to connect the information delivered with keeping this particular promise. The argument initially seems reasonable because Bernie received what he asked to know.
What we’re looking for
The question asks for an assumption that makes the conclusion follow. A rule saying that supplying the requested information is enough to answer a question would do it. Under that rule, the misunderstanding doesn't prevent the response from counting as an answer.
Working the answers
- ACorrect
Bernie requested the approval status, and the speaker gave it: the authorized decision maker hasn't decided, so the project hasn't been approved. If giving the requested information is all that answering requires, the speaker answered Bernie's question and therefore fulfilled the promise. The rule doesn't add an extra requirement that the speaker must have understood the question correctly before speaking.
- B
Whether the speaker can be held accountable for Dorothy's decisions doesn't determine whether Bernie's question was answered. The promise was to provide an answer, not to take responsibility for what Dorothy decided. B supplies no rule connecting the response with fulfillment of the promise.
- C
This would say Dorothy should explain her decision. But the argument isn't trying to establish who has that duty. It concerns whether this speaker already answered Bernie's question. Saying who should explain a decision doesn't settle whether somebody else has provided the requested information.
- D
Doing one's best and actually fulfilling a promise are different claims. The conclusion is that the speaker fulfilled the promise, not merely that the speaker made the best possible effort. D expressly allows best effort without fulfillment, so it doesn't establish what we need.
- E
This tells us that a person ought to keep a promise. It doesn't tell us whether this particular response did keep the promise. An obligation to do something and evidence that it has been done are separate matters. We need the definition of answering supplied by A.
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