­Information sciences expert: Social networking Web sites - sites that

Information sciences expert: Social networking Web sites - sites that provide online services that allow individuals to share personal information with each other - are vulnerable to being ordered offline in the event that one of their subscribers uses information obtained from the site to commit a crime against another subscriber. If criminal investigators can convince the court that the Web site involved is part of the crime scene and therefore must not be tampered with, then the courts would have to order the site offline, because _____________.

Which of the following most logically completes the passage?

This is a Complete the Passage question, and the correct answer must logically complete the passage.

To logically complete the passage, the correct answer must relate logically to all relevant parts of the passage. So, in this case, there are multiple aspects of the passage we have to consider in choosing an answer choice.

One is that, since the blank follows "because," we can tell that the choice that fills the blank must explain WHY the courts would have to order the site offline.

The other is that, the correct answer cannot simply state anything that could be a reason why courts would have to order a site offline. Rather, the correct answer must indicate why the courts would have to order a site offline in a case in which "criminal investigators can convince the court that that the Web site involved is part of the crime scene and therefore must not be tampered with."

So, basically, the correct answer must state a reason why a site must be ordered offline if criminal investigators can convince the court that it must not be tampered with.

A. the courts have power to shut down the web site

The fact that the courts have the power to shut down a site is not a reason why the courts must use that power and order the site offline.

Eliminate.

B. the privacy practices of the Web site involved would have been shown to be insufficient to protect its subscribers

The fact that the privacy practices of a website have been shown to be insufficient to protect its subscribers might be a reason to order that site offline.

However, this choice is not the correct answer to this question because the correct answer doesn't simply have to present a reason to order the site offline. Rather, the correct answer must be a reason why the site must be ordered offline if criminal investigators can convince the court that it must not be tampered with.

The fact that a site's privacy practices have been shown to be insufficient to protect its subscribers is not a reason to order the site offline if criminal investigators can convince the court that it must not be tampered with since privacy issues and tampering with the site are not the same issue.

This choice is a good example of a Complete the Passage answer choice that's not correct because it does not relate logically to all relevant parts of the passage. In other words, the reason this choice is incorrect is that, while it does basically fit with, "the courts would have to order the site offline," it doesn't work logically with "If criminal investigators can convince the court that the Web site involved is part of the crime scene and therefore must not be tampered with."

Eliminate.

C. the Web site involved may provide investigators with clues valuable for solving and prosecuting the case

This choice provides support for the wrong conclusion. This choice provides support for the conclusion that the site must not be tampered with. After all, tampering with the site could destroy clues that could have been used for solving and prosecuting the case.

We need a choice that indicates why, once investigators have convince the courts that the site must not be tampered with, the courts would have to order the site offline, and this choice does not indicate that.

Notice that, given the information we have from the passage and this answer choice, we don't have any reason to believe that continued operation of the site would constitute tampering.

We may see that another choice says that additional use of the site could constitute tampering, but that's not stated in the passage or this choice. So, by itself, information that indicates that the site should not be tampered with is not a reason to order the site offline because we don't have information that indicates that not ordering the site offline would result in tampering.

For the information that the site must not be tampered with to constitute a reason to take the site offline, we ALSO need the information that leaving the site online will constitute tampering, and this choice does not provide that information.

Eliminate.

D. any additional use of the Web site could constitute tampering

This choice explains why, if criminal investigators can convince the court that the site must not be tampered with, then the courts would have to order the site offline.

After all, if it's the case that the site must not be tampered with AND "any additional use of the Web site could constitute tampering," then for the purpose of preventing the tampering that must not happen, the site must be taken offline.

So, this choice does just what we need.

Keep.

E. tampering with crime scenes interferes with due process of law

This choice provides support for the wrong conclusion. This choice provides support for the conclusion that the site must not be tampered with. After all, if tampering with the site could interfere with due process of law, the it makes sense to conclude that the site must not be tampered with.

The correct answer must support something else. It must indicate why, once investigators have convince the courts that the site must not be tampered with, the courts would have to order the site offline, and this choice does not indicate that.

Notice that, given the information we have from the passage and this answer choice, we don't have any reason to believe that continued operation of the site would constitute tampering.

We may see that another choice says that additional use of the site could constitute tampering, but that's not stated in the passage or this choice. So, by itself, the information that tampering with crime scenes interferes with due process of law is not a reason to order the site offline because we don't have information that indicates that not ordering the site offline would result in tampering.

For the information that tampering with crime scenes interferes with due process of law to constitute a reason to take the site offline, we ALSO need the information that leaving the site online will constitute tampering, and this choice does not provide that information.

Eliminate.

Correct answer: D