Editorialist: Drivers with a large number of demerit points who additi

OFFICIAL EXPLANATION

The correct answer choice is (A) This is a fact set. The stimulus begins with the author indicating that drivers with a large number of demerit points who have also been convicted of a serious driving-related offense should either be sentenced to jail or be forced to receive driver re-education. This either/or relationship sets up the following diagram: J = sent to jail, DE = receive driver re-education, sub-D = drivers with a large number of demerit points who have also been convicted of a serious driving-related offense, ~JD—>DED So ~DED—>JD. The next sentence begins with the conditional indicator “only if,” and introduces the following conditional relationship: R = likely to be made more responsible drivers: DE—>RD. The final sentence denies that drivers with a large number of demerit points who have also been convicted of a serious driving-related offense can be made into more responsible drivers. This can be represented as follows: ~RD. At this point the stimulus ends, but you should continue your analysis by linking the pieces of the stimulus together. The denial of the “R” condition in the final sentence enacts a contrapositive: ~RD —>~DE. Linking this contrapositive to the either/or diagram in the first sentence yields the following chain: ~RD —>~DE—>JD. Hence, the pieces of the argument allow us to conclude that drivers with a large number of demerit points who have also been convicted of a serious driving-related offense should go to jail. This is restated almost exactly in answer choice (A).

Answer choice (B): Like all four of the incorrect answers, this answer contains new information, which in a Must Be True question is cause for suspicion. The stimulus does not discuss the “best chance” for making drivers more responsible.

Answer choice (C): Similar to the reasoning behind eliminating answer choice (B), the stimulus does not discuss whether driver re-education is a “harsh enough punishment” and thus we can eliminate this answer choice.

Answer choice (D): The stimulus does not address drivers who have not committed a serious driving offense, only those convicted of such an offense. Further, this answer does not indicate that the drivers under discussion have a large number of demerit points, and thus we cannot be certain the recommendations made in the stimulus apply to the drivers mentioned in this answer choice.

Answer choice (E): This is an Opposite Answer. According to the last two sentences of the stimulus, drivers with a large number of demerit points should not receive driver re-education.