TGC wrote:
Famous personalities found guilty of many types of crimes in well-publicized trials are increasingly sentenced to the performance of community service, though unknown defendants convicted of similar crimes almost always serve prison sentences. However, the principle of equality before the law rules out using fame and publicity as relevant considerations in the sentencing of convicted criminals.
The statements above, if true, most strongly support which one of the following conclusions?
A. The principle of equality before the law is rigorously applied in only a few types of criminal trials.
B. The number of convicted celebrities sentenced to community service should equal the number of convicted unknown defendants sentenced to community service.
C. The principle of equality before the law can properly be overridden by other principles in some cases.
D. The sentencing of celebrities to community service instead of prison constitutes a violation of the principle of equality before the law in many cases.
E. The principle of equality before the law does not allow for leniency in sentencing.
OFFICIAL EXPLANATION
(A) No. But the passage does imply that the principle is not applied across the board.
(B) No. While the passage supports the statement that the
percentage of convicted celebrities sentenced to community service is greater than the percentage of convicted unknown defendants similarly sentenced, nothing can be deduced about the numbers of either group performing community service. To determine this, we would need the number of celebrities and non-celebrities convicted of each type of crime. It’s even possible that a greater
number of unknown defendants than celebrities are sentenced to community service.
(C) No. This is too strong. The passage only implies that considerations such as fame and publicity should not override the principle of equality before the law, no additional principles are mentioned.
(D) Yes. This in fact would be a logical conclusion to the argument.
(E) No. The point of the principle is that if there is to be leniency then it should be applied equally to everyone, or not applied at all.
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