PrepTest 108 - Section 1 - Passage 2 - Question 11

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In recent years, a growing belief that the way society decides what to treat as true is controlled through largely unrecognized discursive practices has led legal reformers to examine the complex interconnections between narrative and law. ██ ████ █████ ████████ █████ █████████ ███ █████ ██ █████████ ███████ █████ ███████ ███████ ██████ █████████ █████ ███████ ██████ ███ ██████ ████ ████████ ████ ███████ ██ ████ ███ ██████ ██████ ██ ██████ ███

Context · How do we decide what is true or false?

Legal systems use competing narratives about events; judges and juries assign "truth"

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Introduce concept · Objectivism

The "objective" view is neutral, unbiased, and more reliable than other views

Apply concept · of objectivism to legal "truth"

Truth is found in an objective view of events

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Criticism · No one holds an objective view

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Support criticism · According to psychologists, everyone holds biases

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Author's perspective · Legal views are subjective, not objective

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Problem · Objectivist assumptions favor those with legal training

Accounts by those who understand the law are (wrongly) seen as objective and true; others accounts are (wrongly) seen as false

Solution · according to some legal scholars

Alternative legal narratives

Explain solution · Replace abstract objectivist discourse with personal narratives

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Support solution · Personal stories elicit empathy

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Implications of solution · Disruption of status quo, less advantage bestowed by legal training, emphasis on empathy

Passage Style

Critique or debate

Problem-analysis

11.

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

Question Type

Meaning in context (of word, phrase, or idea)

Structure

We’re told that objectivist legal discourse disallows emotion/experience by focusing on “cognition” in its narrowest sense. Since objectivist legal discourse disallows emotion/experience, the meaning of “cognition” in context must refer to something besides emotion/experience. We’re also told that the legal reformers want to replace “abstract discourse with powerful personal stories.” This suggests “cognition” involves something abstract. So we can look for an answer that conveys the idea of something abstract, and not emotion/experience.

logical thinking uninfluenced ██ ███████

This is the best answer. “Uninfluenced by passion” is supported by the fact that the cognition isn’t based on emotion/experience. “Logical thinking” has some support from the fact the cognition involves abstract discourse and that objectivism involves neutrality. You won’t find the words “logical” or “logic,” in the passage, but there’s no other answer that’s better supported.

79%

the interpretation of ██████ ████

We have no reason to think “cognition” in context has anything to do with visual cues. The author doesn’t suggest that a difference between objectivist legal discourse and what the legal scholars propose relates to sight, vision, or how things visually appear.

human thought that ███████████ ███ ███████ ███ ██████████

Anti-supported. Objectivist legal discourse disallows emotion/experience...so how could the “cognition” that objectivist legal discourse focuses on encompass (which means include) emotion and experience? (It can’t.)

13%

the reasoning actually ████████ ██ ██████ ██ ██████ ██ █████ █████████

This doesn’t fit, because the author mentions that both judges and juries must decide which stories are true or false. We have no reason to think objectivist legal discourse would focus on the reasoning used by judges to arrive at their judgments when the author also brought up juries’ judgments as part of the objectivist legal procedure.

sudden insights inspired ██ ███ █████ ██ ████████ ███████

Anti-supported. Objectivist legal discourse disallows emotion/experience. The legal scholars in P4 are the ones who want to begin including stories based on emotion/experience.

PrepTest 108 - Section 1 - Passage 2 - Question 11

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