D. Main Point Questions

      In MAIN POINT questions, you have to identify the conclusion of an argument. You are trying to find the author's point and should approach this question in a similar way to the reading comprehension main point questions. They come in several different formats:

• The main point of the passage is that...
• Which of the following statements about... is best supported by the statements above?
• Which of the following best states the author's conclusion in the passage above?
• Which of the following conclusions can be most properly drawn from the data above?
  

     The conclusion of arguments in Main Point questions is usually not directly stated. To find the conclusion, identify the premises and then identify the conclusion drawn from the premises. Main Point questions differ from the other Critical Reasoning questions in that the argument in the stimulus is usually valid. (In most other Critical Reasoning questions the reasoning is flawed.)

How to approach Main Point Questions:

1. Analyze scope: main point junk answers will typically go outside the direct scope of the passage. Be careful to look directly at the scope of the question. Main Point answers must be within the scope of the passage. Your opinions or information outside of the passage are always outside of the scope.
   
2. Knock out answers with extreme wording. Main Point answers typically do not use only, always, never, best or any strong words that leave little wiggle room. The right answers on Main Point questions will generally use more qualifiers and less extreme language.
   
3. Use the process of elimination. Main Point questions typically have two or three good answers that are semi-plausible. The best way to tackle these questions is to gradually eliminate the possible answers until you have one or two and then choose the last one by scope.

 

SAMPLE QUESTION

Although Locke has been hailed as a giant figure in European intellectual history, his ideas were largely borrowed from his predecessors, now unfairly neglected by historians. Furthermore, Locke never wrote a truly great book; his most widely known works are muddy in style, awkwardly constructed, and often self-contradictory.

With which of the following would the author most likely agree?

a) Locke made use of ideas without acknowledging his predecessors as the sources of those ideas.

b) Current historians are re-evaluating the work of Locke in the light of present-day knowledge.

c) Locke's contributions to the development of European thought have been greatly exaggerated.

d) Historians should reexamine Locke's place in European intellectual history.

e) Although Locke's ideas were important, his way of expressing them in writing was sadly inadequate.

 

Explanation: The author makes two assertions about Locke: that his ideas were not original and that his books were not very good. On the basis of these assertions, the author concludes that Locke's reputation as an intellectual giant is undeserved. Choice (C) accurately summarizes this conclusion. Choice (A) focuses on a subsidiary point, not the main idea; moreover, it makes an assumption unsupported by the passage namely, that Locke did not acknowledge the sources of his ideas. Choice (B) is wrong because although the passage clearly indicates that the author is "re-evaluating" Locke's work, it does not suggest that "current historians" in general are doing so. Similarly, (D) implies that the author recommends that other historians re-examine Locke. Since no recommendation exists in the argument, Choice (C) is the only option.

SAMPLE QUESTION

Opening a retail business in Kosovo is not inadvisable, despite what critics of the plan may say. Eighteen years ago we opened a construction business in Beirut during an invasion, and that location has been generating profits ever since.

Which of the following is the author of the above argument trying to imply?

a) The proposed retail store can make money despite being in the middle of a war zone.

b) Wars are profitable for retail.

c) Kosovo is not as politically unstable as Beirut.

d) Opponents of a new construction company in Kosovo are probably biased.

e) The proposed company in Kosovo will do better than the construction company in Beirut.

 

The author is using his prior experience to make a generalization. If he thought wars were profitable, he would be more encouraging of the venture instead of "not inadvisable." (B) is a matter of degree; he is implying that war is not bad for business, but he is not arguing that war is good for business. (A) is the correct answer.

 

Strategy: This question illustrates a point that will undoubtedly frustrate students with a poor grasp of the English language. This question does not ask you to assess a logical argument, but to measure the degree of enthusiasm for an argument. Measure the tone and strength an author puts into his point of view when assessing questions, particularly when the question asks you to find the author's conclusion. Students with a poor grasp of the English language should move very carefully through these Main Point questions to carefully assess the writer's viewpoint and his enthusiasm in expressing it.

 

w E. Paradox Questions

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