conty911 wrote:
The math professor’s goals for classroom honesty and accurate student assessment were founded upon his belief that the fear of punishment and corresponding loss of privileges would make students think twice or even three times before cheating on exams, thus virtually eliminating cheating in his classroom. In order for this atmosphere to prevail, the students had to believe that the consequences for cheating were severe and that the professor had the means to discover cheaters and enforce the punishment against them.
If the statements contained in the preceding passage are true, which one of the following can be properly inferred?
(A) A student would only be deterred from cheating if he knew he would be discovered and punished.
(B) A student will not cheat on an exam if he feels he is well prepared for the exam.
(C) A student who cheats on an exam believes that he will not be able to pass the exam without cheating.
(D) If the professor wants to achieve his goals, he should make his students aware of his policy on cheating and the consequences that would befall those who
cheat on his exams.
(E) If the professor wants never to have an incident of cheating in his classroom, his policy on cheating must be stronger than any other professor’s policy on cheating.
Edit: Added OA
What's the source? A and D are closer than they should be. While I agree that D qualifies as an answer, I don't see why A doesn't. The stimulus tells us that for the atmosphere to prevail, the students have to believe that punishments are there and that THE PROFESSOR HAS THE MEANS TO DISCOVER CHEATERS.
Now, D does say that the professor will make students aware of the consequences, but tells us nothing about whether students would believe that they would be discovered while cheating, and thus, even after knowing the professor's policies, may cheat on the exam not knowing that they will be caught.
Option A clearly states that the students will know that they would be discovered and punished. I don't really think that this is good quality question. Experts, please comment.
Request
mikemcgarry to chip in.