mohankumarbd wrote:
Weight loss programs that guarantee results mislead their customers. No program can
ensure that someone who follows it will lose weight. These programs prey upon unhappy
and insecure people who are often driven more by emotion than by reason.
Moreover, many
people who lose weight while on a program eventually regain the weight within a year.So while the programs’ claims may be true for a short period, customers will be disappointed
in the long run. The two portions in boldface play which of the following roles?
A) The first is a generalization; the second is a consequence of that generalization.
b) The first is the author’s position; the second is a consideration in support of that position.
c) The first is an opinion under examination; the second is evidence weighing against that
opinion.
d) The first is an assertion that the author questions; the second is evidence in support of that
assertion.
e) The first is evidence in support of the author’s main point; the second is the author’s main
point.
Main CR Qs link -
cr-qs-600-700-level-131508.html There are always two things I like to think about when tackling a "two boldface" (A.K.A.
Describe the Role) problem:
1) Generally, how do the two portions fit into the overall argument?
2) Specifically, how do they relate to each other?
The first boldface portion is definitely the authors
conclusion – everything else is supporting it. The second boldface portion is just one more pieces of evidence in a long list of evidence support that first sentence.
A) The first is a generalization; the second is a consequence of that generalization. Conclusion certainly can be "generalizations" and one might reasonable call the first such. But the second is a premise
supporting that conclusion. It is not a "consequence." (Note that the
conclusion should be a consequence of the premises, not the other way around!)
Eliminate.B) The first is the author’s position; the second is a consideration in support of that position. "Author's position" = "conclusion" and "consideration in support" = "premise". This sounds like exactly what we're looking for, but let's work through the other choices to make sure!
C) The first is an opinion under examination; the second is evidence weighing against that
opinion. Here's where some forethought on how the two boldface portions are related to
each other can really pay off. The second is certainly not working
against the first.
Eliminate.D) The first is an assertion that the author questions; the second is evidence in support of that
assertion. The author is certainly not trying to
question the assertion made in the first portion – in fact that's his whole point!
Eliminate.E) The first is evidence in support of the author’s main point; the second is the author’s main
p]oint. Entirely correct but for one minor problem – it's backwards!
Key takeaways:
1) On "Describe the Role" do think about how the two portion fit into the overall argument.
2) But also make sure you've clearly identified how the two portioned relate to each other!
Best,
Mark