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kaushikdk003
Can anyone please explain answers to Q 4 and 5th? Thanks.

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Explanation

5. Which one of the following arguments is most analogous to the argument advanced in passage A?

Difficulty Level: 750

Explanation

The question is asking for an argument analogous to that in passage A. Passage A argues against the current punishment system because of new neuroscience findings. (Note: You can approach this question similarly to the way you would approach a Parallel the Reasoning Arguments question.)

A. No. Passage A does not discuss reducing features.

B. No. While this answer may be tempting because it mentions rationality, passage A does not discuss irrational actions.

C. Yes. As in passage A, this answer argues against a current system because of updated information about the brain.

D. No. Passage A rejects a justification based on new findings about the brain.

E. No. This answer choice does not discuss rejecting a current system.

Answer: C
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1. Both passages are concerned with answering which one of the following questions?
Answer: B

(A) Should people be punished for actions that are outside of their control?
(B) Does scientific research into the brain have implications regarding freedom of the will?
(C) Can actions that are not free be effectively deterred by the threat of punishment?
(D) Is the view that retribution is a legitimate justification for punishment compatible with the findings of neuroscience?
(E) Can an action be free if someone else physically forced the actor to perform it?

Both passages address the question of how scientific research into the brain affects freedom of the will. Passage A presents the viewpoint that the brain entirely determines a person's behavior and how this changes our understanding of the law. Passage B presents an alternative viewpoint that free will can coexist with determinism and depends on the source of the cause of action. Thus, both passages discuss the question of free will and its implications in light of neuroscientific findings.
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kaushikdk003
Can anyone please explain answers to Q 4 and 5th? Thanks.

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Explanation

4. Passage B differs from passage A in that passage B displays an attitude toward the ideas it discusses that is more

Difficulty Level: 700

Explanation

The question is asking about the relative tones of the passages. Use your Bottom Line of each passage.

A. No. This answer choice is reversed. Passage A is advocating a point of view, while passage B is presenting a theory.

B. No. Neither passage is negative in tone.

C. Yes. Passage A is advocating a point of view, while passage B is presenting a theory without passing judgment.

D. No. Neither passage uses irony.E. No. Neither passage is negative in tone.

Answer: C

Hi! Could you be more specific, why the correct answer is C and cannot be B ?
Opinion: option (C) "detached" suggests a more neutral or objective stance, which doesn't accurately capture the confrontational or critical tone that Passage B takes towards the ideas in Passage A.
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Hi! Could you be more specific, why the correct answer is C and cannot be B ?
Opinion: option (C) "detached" suggests a more neutral or objective stance, which doesn't accurately capture the confrontational or critical tone that Passage B takes towards the ideas in Passage A.

(C) Detached: Passage B presents the ideas of Alfred J. Ayer and discusses the concept of "soft determinism" without displaying a strong emotional or judgmental tone. It presents the arguments and ideas in a neutral and objective manner, allowing readers to consider the ideas on their own merits. It doesn't take a strong stance against or in favor of these ideas, and it doesn't dismiss them outright. Instead, it explores the concept of free will within the context of determinism, leaving room for readers to form their own opinions.

(B) Dismissive: The term "dismissive" implies a negative or scornful attitude towards the ideas being discussed. Passage B does not exhibit such an attitude. It does not ridicule or reject Ayer's theory of soft determinism or the idea that free will can coexist with determinism. Instead, it presents Ayer's arguments and provides a reasoned discussion of these ideas. There is no indication that the passage is dismissive of these ideas.
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For #5: Which one of the following arguments is most analogous to the argument advanced in passage A?

(C) The existing program for teaching mathematics in elementary schools is based on mistaken notions about what sorts of mathematical concepts children can grasp, and it should therefore be replaced.
(E) Being autonomous does not imply having full control over one’s behavior. After all, addicted smokers are unable to exercise control over some behaviors but are nevertheless autonomous in the general sense.


The beginning of Para 1: "To a neuroscientist, you are your brain; nothing causes your behavior other than the operations of your brain. This viewpoint, together with recent findings in neuroscience, radically changes the way we think (5) about the law. The official line in the law is that all that matters is whether you are rational, but you can have someone who is totally rational even though their strings are being pulled by something beyond their control. "

This led me to pick E. But is E wrong because technically this isn't an argument - it's more a statement regarding the "official line in the law" ?

Where as later in the passage "Instead, the law should (20) focus on deterring future harms. In some cases, this might mean lighter punishments. If it is really true that we do not get any prevention bang from our punishment buck when we punish some person, then it is not worth punishing that person." This is actually proposing an argument that if the punishment is not effective in crime prevention, then it should be scrapped.

Could you clarify / confirm that E was a trap answer because it was a *statement* and not an *argument* ?
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Hi, Is there an official answer key to all the questions in this paragraph? Why are the other options wrong.
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