Journalist: A free marketplace of ideas ensures that all ideas get a

OFFICIAL EXPLANATION

The conclusion to this argument is the fourth sentence, which begins with the conclusion indicator “For this reason...” By applying the Primary Objectives you should have identified this conclusion while reading, and then, upon classifying the question stem you should have looked for a paraphrase of this sentence. Answer choice (C) fits the bill, and is the correct answer.

Answer choice (A): The author would agree with this statement but this is not the Main Point of the argument; rather, it is closer to a premise that might support the conclusion. Incidentally, the author’s general agreement with this answer choice is signaled by the use of “however” in the third sentence. In the stimulus, the author begins by mentioning that a free marketplace of ideas, including dangerous ideas, ensures a fair hearing of ideas. In the third sentence, the author then says, “however, the government is responsible for over half the information released to the public,” indicating the author feels the government is a threat to this free marketplace.

Answer choice (B): The author would also agree with this statement, but again this is not the Main Point of the argument. As discussed in the analysis of answer choice (A), the author believes that the freedom of the marketplace of ideas is at risk, and in stating that we should curtail the government’s power over information, the author assumes that preserving a free marketplace of ideas is important. Thus this answer choice would be better described as an unstated premise that supports the conclusion.

Answer choice (C): This is the correct answer. Remember, any answer that is a paraphrase of the conclusion of the argument will be the correct answer to a Main Point question.

Answer choice (D): The stimulus specifically notes that malicious or prejudicial ideas can “prompt beneficial outcomes.” The outcome of an idea is different than stating the ideas themselves “can be valuable.”

Answer choice (E): The stimulus states that “governments continue to construct near monopolies on the publication and dissemination of enormous amounts of information.” This phrasing is not the same as answer choice (E), which asserts that the government already has a monopoly on the dissemination of many kinds of information. The lesson learned from this particular problem is that you must isolate the conclusion and then look for a paraphrase of that conclusion.