PT88.S4.Q13 - There are many poets with cheerful dispositions

2ndTimestheCharm

Does anyone else thing AP questions are getting harder? I chose D for this because it reads more like a clarification - or even a necessary assumption - than direct support for the conditional conclusion. #help

Admin note: edited title; please use the format of "PT#.S#.Q# - [brief description]"

Michael.Cinco

I just did that section.

If you look at it, this is how it is structured.

P1.Most poets author has met are disposed to melancholy
Conclusion: If P1 is representative then one can conclude that many poets are made melancholy by writing poetry.

AP: an activity as engrossing and profound as writing poetry can be depressing.

I think the tricky part is that it does actually clarify the statement made in the conclusion insofar as it gives you a reason to believe that writing poetry can cause melancholy however because the way it clarifies the conclusion is by giving you reason to believe it, it also acts as a premise!

D is incorrect because we are asked to identify the role that statement is making in the Argument (hence argument part question) it both clarifies and is a premise in the argument. E is the better answer because its focused on the argument component.

2ndTimestheCharm

Thank you. I understand, but I'm not a fan. What's the reason we should believe it? Because anything that is engrossing and profound CAN make you sad? That's a really weak reason. It's like saying anything that has citrus can upset one's stomach. Therefore oranges cause people to throw up. This seems like a sloppy question to me that is open to interpretation. Here's hoping I don't see one like this on Monday. But if I do, I'll remember this.

Michael.Cinco

With questions like Argument Part or main conclusion...I try not to bother assessing how strong or weak the argument really Is, just what it is trying to do. So yeah weak argument but its validity is not in scope of what we are trying to achieve. Save those brain cells for strengthen, weaken and flaw among other question types!

2ndTimestheCharm

Good point. Thank you. Do you think that "clarification" can ever be a correct answer to an AP?

Michael.Cinco

I wouldn’t put it past LSAC but if they used clarify it would have to make a point to say that the clarification is in support of the conclusion. That’s what was missing from that answer choice.