Q4

[peg_city]

Why is E wrong and C right?

It says E lines 5-8

Thanks

[storm_cyclones_]

Hi peg_city,

These are my thoughts:

E is less correct than C because the author isn't too concerned with people who know the facts of a case. It is the critics discussed in paragraphs 2 and 3, and the intro part of paragraph 4, that would hit on the thought expressed in answer choice C -- not the author.

C is the correct answer because it can be directly supported in the text, looking at the final lines 51-58. The author in these lines is saying that even some jurors who might be informed, curious, AND opinionated can (and do) actually HELP towards impartiality! (This is in contrast to the critics who say that the above characteristics HURT progress towards impartiality.)

Hope this helps, however much.

[giladedelman]

Yes, good explanation!

As for the other answers:

(A) contradicts the author's point that impartiality can be achieved.

(B) is out because although the author thinks jurors with knowledge of the case can still make up an impartial jury, the passage doesn't say this is the best way to reach impartial decisions.

(D) is the exact opposite of the author's conclusion.

Thanks for posting!

[vik]

E is incorrect because of the word "opinionated", which means "holding obstinately and unreasonably to one's own opinions; dogmatic"

The passage lines 5-8 say "more likely to hold an opinion", not "opinionated".

[ManhattanPrepLSAT1]

You know... I think I would give 'em this one vik. I believe they wouldn't have drawn that distinction. Though in a precise use of language you're absolutely correct.

[boy5237]

Hey Matt,
then could you explain why E is wrong?
Above post didn't really explain that much...

I mean with your post, Line 5 - 8 directly supports E...

Also, I have another question: when a question asks about "what the author believes or agrees," does opinions from critics or proponents or some other people actually would "count" as if they were something that the author would agree or believe or are they separate from authors?

[sumukh09]

Hey Matt,
then could you explain why E is wrong?
Above post didn't really explain that much...

I mean with your post, Line 5 - 8 directly supports E...

Also, I have another question: when a question asks about "what the author believes or agrees," does opinions from critics or proponents or some other people actually would "count" as if they were something that the author would agree or believe or are they separate from authors?

Bump. Picked E as well for this one as I thought the same lines referenced in the quote supported E directly. Also I felt comfortable equating "holding an opinion" to "opinionated" as I thought one implied the other. So yeah, why is E wrong here? I can see why C would be right but to me it's not a "better" answer per say than E is. Thanks.

Edit: could it be because E is more stronger than what lines 5 - 8 are saying? Lines 5 - 8 say that it is "generally believed" while E says that people who know the facts of a case ARE more opinionated than those who do not -- is this why E is wrong?

[ManhattanPrepLSAT1]

So yeah, why is E wrong here? I can see why C would be right but to me it's not a "better" answer per say than E is. Thanks.

Edit: could it be because E is more stronger than what lines 5 - 8 are saying? Lines 5 - 8 say that it is "generally believed" while E says that people who know the facts of a case ARE more opinionated than those who do not -- is this why E is wrong?

You got it! The question asks what the author would be most likely to agree with. Lines 5-8 specifically attribute that view to what is generally believed. Does the author then go on to say that such a view is correct somewhere?

When looking for the author's view, try to find a view that the author does not attribute to others. Generally, the right perspective to answer a question like this one is to identify where in the passage the author's view is most clearly present. For me, the author's view is most clearly present in the final paragraph. As such, I would look for a claim that is supported by information in the final paragraph, as is answer choice (C). And would stay very far away from answer choices like (E) that come from a place in the passage that lacks a clear author's voice.

Hope that helps!

[jewels0602]

I chose E for this one, and I think a strong reason why it's wrong is because the passage says that those that know the facts are more likely to me opinionated about it, whereas the answer choice says that they are more opinionated about it.

It's a very subtle but striking nuance-- the statement in the passage is a probability statement, like Peruvians are more likely to enjoy ceviche than Argentineans. The answer choice is talking about the degree of opinion, which would be like saying Peruvians enjoy ceviche more than the Argentinians. The latter is more matter of fact.


Whoa writing this out really helped! (I hope the reasoning is accurate though lol)