QUESTION TEXT: Newspaper columnist: What caused the current recession…
QUESTION TYPE: Identify the Conclusion
CONCLUSION: Knowing the cause of the recession is not essential to improve the economy.
REASONING: Corrective lenses were developed to treat myopia before it was known to be caused by genetic factors.
ANALYSIS: The conclusion in this passage is phrased in a very obtuse way. The phrase “it is a mistake to assume” shows that the author disagrees with what they’re about to say – in this case, that answering the question (of the recession’s cause) is essential to improve the economy.
The first sentence is a premise – people are debating the cause of the recession. The second is the conclusion – it doesn’t matter why. The third is an analogy – we fixed myopia without knowing the cause, so the same could be done with the economy. The phrase “after all” is a sign that the sentence is evidence for the conclusion.
___________
- This is not the conclusion and is too broad for the author’s specific point.
- This is an incorrect reversal of what the author is saying. The author says that knowing the cause isn’t necessary for a solution, but this answer says knowing the cause is not sufficient for a solution.
- This is not the solution, but rather a premise the author shares.
- CORRECT. The author is saying that knowing the cause is not essential to improve the economy.
- This is an analogy offered by the author, but not the conclusion.
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