Q19 - Ana: On libertarian principles, I oppose

[mshinners]

Question Type:
ID the Disagreement

Stimulus Breakdown:
A: The government shouldn't stop people from hurting just themselves (smoking).

P: The ban is just in public; not at home.

Answer Anticipation:
Since only A mentions an opinion on the ban, the answer won't deal with whether it's a good idea (though I expect that will be a trap answer). What do they both talk about? It seems the disagreement is over who is hurt by the smoking prevented in the ban. Ana is arguing that it hurts only the person smoking; P brings up a consideration about it hurting others (since it's happening in public).

Correct answer:
(C)

Answer choice analysis:
(A) Half scope. A definitely disagrees with this, but P offers no opinion.

(B) Out of scope. While A follows libertarian principles, she doesn't commit the government to always doing the same. However, even if you committed A to agreeing with this answer, P has no opinion on it.

(C) Bingo. A opposes the ban for this reason, so she agrees with the statement. P disagrees, bringing up that the ban is only in public (which means the smoking could hurt others) and that it's not in private.

(D) Half scope. A never mentions this (P would agree).

(E) Out of scope. P never mentions his opinion on what should happen. A doesn't think the government should step in to prevent people from harming themselves, but that doesn't commit her to a belief that the government should always avoid private behavior, so she may or may not agree with this.

Takeaway/Pattern:
Look for the overlap, but be flexible! Here, "only themselves" and "public/private" speak to the same issue despite using different language.

#officialexplanation