PrepTest 102 - Section 1 - Passage 4 - Question 22

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Scientists typically advocate the analytic method of studying complex systems: systems are divided into component parts that are investigated separately. ███

Scientists' perspective · Analytic method

For complex systems, divide into component parts and study each part.

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Critics' perspective · System loses complexity when parts are studied separately

Critics' new concept · Organicism

The whole determines the parts, and the parts are interdependent. ("Perceived" weaknesses suggests author will later say these weaknesses in analytic method were not real.)

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Basis of organicism · Theory of internal relations

Entities have relationships with each other only if they're part of a whole that contains the entities. Relationships alter each entity, and relationships determine defining characteristics of an entity.

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Critique of internal relations theory · Not all characteristics of an entity define that entity

Entities can have relationships that don't change the entities.

Additional critique of internal relations theory · Makes acquiring knowledge impossible

According to the theory, to known an entity, you have to know all of its relationships. But that seems impossible to do.

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Origin of organicism · Didn't understand the analytic method

Analytic method doesn't involve studying individual parts in complete isolation from the whole. Scientists still studied laws and initial conditions of the whole system.

Main point · Rejection of organicism

No valid reason to abandon analytic method. Organicists didn't show that we can't discover the laws and initial conditions of complex systems.

Passage Style

Critique or debate

22.

Which one of the following ████ ██████████ ███ ██████████ ██████████ ███ ████████ ██ ███ ████████

Question Type

Main point

This question is a bit different from other main point questions. In this question, we are looking for something that accurately describes the argument of the passage, but is also a complete representation of the argument’s conclusion and premises.

In this Critique passage, the author ultimately dismisses the organicists’ argument for two major reasons: the organicists reject the analytic method without properly understanding it, and they rely on a theory––the theory of internal relations––that doesn’t quite hold up.

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This is not a complete or accurate summary of the passage’s argument. The author’s conclusion isn’t that the organicists offer an alternative theory; it’s that the organicists’ theory is wrong. Also, organicists don’t question the possibility that complex systems can be studied in their entirety––they want to study systems this way.

Organicists did not █████ █ ██████ ██████ ██ ████████ ███████ ███████ ███████ ████ ███ ███ ███████████ ████ █████ ███ █████████████ ████ █████ ██ ██████ ███ █████ ████ ██ ███ █████ ███ ████████ █████████

This is not an accurate summary of the argument. (B) gives support for the author’s conclusion, but it does not include the author’s conclusion.

This is also an incomplete summary of the support in the argument. While the argument does criticize the organicists for not acknowledging this possibility, this is only part of the support for the author’s argument. (B) does not address the support given in P4 or P5.

Organicism is flawed ███████ ██ ██████ ██ █ ██████ ████ ████ ███████ ███ ████ ████ ███ ███ ███████████████ ██ ████████ ███ ████████ ███ ██████████ █████ ███ ███████████ ██ █████████ ███████████

While (C) accurately identifies the conclusion of the argument (that organicism is flawed), it is not complete in its summary of the support. (C) accurately summarizes the support given in P3 (that not all characteristics are defining) and P4 (that it makes acquiring knowledge impossible), but (C) is missing the support from P5 (that organicists’ criticism of the analytic method is based on a misunderstanding). (D) fixes this issue by including the support from P5.

15%

Organicism does not █████ █ █████ █████████ ██ ███ ████████ ██████ ████ ███████ ██ ██████ ██ ██████ ██████ ███ ███████ ██ ██ █████ ██ █ █████████████████ ██ ███ ████████ ███████

This is a complete and accurate summary of the passage’s argument. (D) accurately identifies the passage’s conclusion that organicism doesn’t offer a valid challenge to the analytic method. Additionally, (D) provides a complete summary of the support for this conclusion––by pointing out that “it relies on a faulty theory,” it highlights the flaws of organicism identified in P3 and P4, and by identifying that organicism “is based on a misrepresentation of the analytic method,” it captures P5.

77%

In criticizing the ████████ ███████ ███████████ █████████ ██ ████████ ████ ██████████ ███ ██████ ███ ██████ ███ ████ ██ ████████ ███ ████ ███ ███████ ██████████ ██ ███ ███████ ████ ██████

This is not a complete summary of the argument––(E) never mentions the author’s conclusion. In addition, it is an incomplete summary of the author’s support. The author does point out that the organicists failed to show that the analytic method couldn’t discover the laws and initial conditions of complex systems, but this is a very limited portion of the author’s overall argument. (E) does not capture the support for the author’s argument articulated in P3 or P4, or that the organicists’ criticism of the analytic method is based on a misunderstanding.

PrepTest 102 - Section 1 - Passage 4 - Question 22

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