From time to time, the press indulges in outbursts of indignation over the use of false or misleading information by the U.S. government in support of its policies and programs. No one endorses needless deception. But consider this historical analogy. It is known that Christopher Columbus, on his first voyage to the New World, deliberately falsified the log to show a shorter sailing distance for each day out than the ships had actually traveled. In this way, Columbus was able to convince his skeptical sailors that they had not sailed past the point at which they expected to find the shores of India. Without this deception, Columbus’s sailors might well have mutinied, and the New World might never have been discovered.


Which of the following is the main weakness of the historical analogy drawn in the passage above?

(A) The sailors in Columbus’s crew never knew that they had been deceived, while government deception is generally uncovered by the press.

(B) A ship’s log is a record intended mainly for use by the captain, while press reports are generally disseminated for use by the public at large.

(C) The members of a ship’s crew are selected by the captain of the ship, while those who work in the press are self-selected.

(D) The crew of a ship is responsible for the success of a voyage, while the press is not responsible for the use others make of the factual information it publishes.

(E) In a democracy, the people are expected to participate in the nation’s political decision making, while the members of a ship’s crew are expected simply to obey the orders of the captain.


Please tell us why you pick your answer and your line of reasoning. Thanks!