Hi everyone,
Got 5/8 correct in 19 minutes.
-----------------------------------------------------P1In paragraph one we are given who the canon lawyers are and the fact that they were subjected to standards. Nonetheless, they were not interested in enforcing such standards among themselves and sometimes they even try to hobble the enforcement of such standards.
Purpose: The purpose is to present the canon lawyers and to claim that they were not interested in enforcing standards.
P2Here we are given two possible explanations:
#1: canon lawyers already followed standards very strictly
#2: following such standards was counterproductive
Purpose: The purpose of this paragraph is to present two possible explanations for a phenomenon described in the previous paragraph
P3In this paragraph the author claims that the second explanation is more likely than the first one. The author then cites 2 evidence to strengthen this idea:
#1 In face of ethical violations, civil lawyers were subjects to punishments while their ecclesiastical counterparts were not.
One possible inference is that Ecclesiastical lawyers did not commit ethical violations while their civil counterparts did and that's why they were subjected to such punishments.
However we know that it is probable that #2 is not correct as many times people working in the civil area worked in the ecclesiastical area and vice versa.
Purpose: The purpose of this paragraph is to offer the first consideration to strengthen the idea that the second explanation given in the previous paragraph is the most plausible.
P4The second consideration is that church members themselves complained about the faultiness of this system. They did so in the council of Basel. Plus we are given that in England we had a similar situation.
Purpose: The purpose of this paragraph is to present the second consideration in favor of the second theory.
P5Here the author suggests that critics to the lack of enforcement of standards might have been counterproductive. As a matter of facts lawyers probably created associations to defend themselves and maybe they did not educate their members because they were too busy defending themselves from various attacks.
Purpose: The purpose of this paragraph is to suggest that critics and opposers of the lack of enforcement of standards might have been counterproductive
Main pointThe main point of this passage is to investigate the reasons why among the canon lawyers there was a lack of enforcement of standards.-----------------------------------------------------
1. Which one of the following best states the main conclusion of the passage?
Pre-thinking
Main point question
The main point of this passage is to investigate the reasons why among the canon lawyers there was a lack of enforcement of standards.
(A) Professional organizations of medieval canon lawyers probably only enforced ethical standards among their own members when provoked to do so by outside criticisms.
Tricky but the question is inconsistent as canon lawyers when provoked to enforce standards did the opposite
(B) Professional organizations of medieval civil lawyers seem to have maintained stricter ethical standards for their own members than did professional organizations of medieval canon lawyers.
Out of scope
(C) Professional organizations of medieval canon lawyers apparently served to defend their members against critics’ attacks rather than to enforce ethical standards.
Correct, throughout all the passage the author investigates the reasons behind this lack of enforcement and this is the answer to the author's quest.
(D) The ethical standards maintained by professional associations of medieval canon lawyers were chiefly laid down in papal constitutions.
out of context and wrong
(E) Ethical standards for medieval canon lawyers were not laid down until professional organizations for these lawyers had been formed.
out of scope
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2. According to the passage, which one of the following statements about law courts in medieval England is true?
Pre-thinking
Detail question
Law courts in medieval England are discussed in P3 and in P4.
(A) Some English lawyers who practiced in civil courts also practiced in church courts, but others served exclusively in one court or the other.
From P3: The alternative inference, namely, that ecclesiastical advocates were less prone to ethical lapses than their counterparts in the civil courts, seems inherently weak, especially since there was some overlap of personnel between the civil bar and the ecclesiastical bar.
(B) English canon lawyers were more likely to initiate disciplinary proceedings against their colleagues than were English civil lawyers.
Never mentioned
(C) English civil lawyers maintained more stringent ethical standards than did civil lawyers in the rest of Europe.
Never mentioned
(D) English ecclesiastical courts had originally been modeled upon English civil courts.
Never mentioned
(E) English ecclesiastical courts kept richer and more thorough records than did English civil courts.
Never mentioned
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3. The author refers to the Florentine guild of lawyers in the first paragraph most probably in order to
Pre-thinking
Function question
As usual when we are asked for the function of an element in the passage it is useful to evaluate the sentences before that element.
In this case: " Some even attempted to hobble efforts at enforcement."
(A) introduce a theory about to be promoted
Not in line with pre-thinking
(B) illustrate the type of action referred to in the previous sentence
in line with pre-thinking
(C) underline the universality of a method discussed throughout the paragraph
Not in line with pre-thinking
(D) point out a flaw in an argument presented earlier in the paragraph
Not in line with pre-thinking
(E) rebut an anticipated objection to a thesis just proposed
Not in line with pre-thinking
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4. The author refers to the Council of Basel (Highlighted) primarily in order to
Pre-thinking
Function question
The usage of this example is functional to strengthen this claim from P4: "Second, church authorities themselves complained about the failure of advocates to measure up to ethical standards and deplored the shortcomings of the disciplinary system."
The tricky part of this question is that the above statement reinforces itself the idea that the second explanation is more plausible. What was the second explanation? Alternatively, it is possible that deviations from the established standards of behavior were not uncommon, but that canonical disciplinary mechanisms were so inefficient that most delinquents escaped detection and punishment.
(A) provide an example of the type of action needed to establish professional standards for canon lawyers
As per the passage such actions were counterproductive in the end. OUT
(B) contrast the reactions of English church authorities with the reactions of other bodies to violations of professional standards by canon lawyers
Out of scope
(C) bolster the argument that violations of professional standards by canon lawyers did take place
In line with pre-thinking
(D) explain how rules of conduct for canon lawyers were established
Not in line with pre-thinking
(E) describe the development of a disciplinary system to enforce professional standards among canon lawyers
Not in line with pre-thinking
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5. According to the information in the passage, for which one of the following ethical violations would documentation of disciplinary action against a canon lawyer be most likely to exist?
Pre-thinking
Detail question
Tricky to find but here it is: "In the few recorded episodes of disciplinary enforcement, the initiative for disciplinary action apparently came from a dissatisfied client, not from fellow lawyers.
"
(A) betraying a client’s secrets to the opposing party
In line with pre-thinking
(B) bribing the judge to rule in favor of a client
Not in line with pre-thinking
(C) misrepresenting credentials in order to gain admission to the lawyers’ guild
Not in line with pre-thinking
(D) spreading rumors in order to discredit an opposing lawyer
Not in line with pre-thinking
(E) knowingly helping a client to misrepresent the truth
Not in line with pre-thinking
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6. Which one of the following is most analogous to the “professional solidarity” (Highlighted)?
Pre-thinking
Analogous statement question
Professional solidarity refers to those lawyers that when attacked from whoever decided to group together to defend themselves by such attacks.
(A) Members of a teachers’ union go on strike when they believe one of their colleagues to be falsely accused of using an inappropriate textbook.
Lawyers are not falsely accused
(B) In order to protect the reputation of the press in the face of a largely hostile public, a journalist conceals distortions in a colleague’s news article.
Here we have the element of attack and defense. Correct
(C) Several dozen recording artists agree to participate in a concert to benefit an endangered environmental habitat.
not in line with pre-thinking
(D) In order to expedite governmental approval of a drug, a government official is persuaded to look the other way when a pharmaceutical manufacturer conceals evidence that the drug may have minor side effects.
not in line with pre-thinking
(E) A popular politician agrees to campaign for another, less popular politician belonging to the same political party.
not in line with pre-thinking
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7. The passage suggests that which one of the following is most likely to have been true of medieval guilds?
Pre-thinking
Inference questions
From P1: "One might expect that the professional associations would play a prominent role in enforcing these standards of conduct, as other guilds often did, and as modern professional associations do, but that seems not to have happened. "
(A) Few guilds of any importance existed before the mid-fourteenth century.
Out of scope
(B) Many medieval guilds exercised influence over the actions of their members.
The statement above suggests that the guilds were able to enforce standards of conduct, hence they were able to influence their members
(C) Most medieval guilds maintained more exacting ethical standards than did the associations of canon lawyers.
Most is too extreme
(D) Medieval guilds found it difficult to enforce discipline among their members.
Cannot be inferred
(E) The ethical standards of medieval guilds varied from one city to another.
Cannot be inferred
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8. The author would be most likely to agree with which one of the following regarding the hypothesis that medieval canon lawyers observed standards of professional conduct scrupulously?
Pre-thinking
Inference question
The author clearly states that it is not plausible because of the overlapse
(A) It is untrue because it is contradicted by documents obtained from the ecclesiastical courts.
Too extreme
(B) It is unlikely because it describes behavior markedly different from behavior observed in the same situation in modern society.
Inconsistent
(C) It is unlikely because it describes behavior markedly different from behavior observed in a similar area of medieval society.
Yes, as there was overlaps with such area it is unlikely that the same people would behave differently in the two areas
(D) It is impossible to assess intelligently because of the dearth of civil and ecclesiastical documents.
Too extreme
(E) It is directly supported by documents obtained from civil and ecclesiastical courts.
incorrect
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