"The passage provides the most support for inferring______"

IOnlyAnswerC

I came across a question (PT58, S2 Q19) that had a question stem like the one above and JY's explanation raised a question for me. Does a passage only provide support for the author's arguments? In this passage, the author is refuting a legal theory, so is it wrong to say that the passage is providing support for the opposing theory in any way?

P.S. I would've asked under the passage, but the last comment was 10 months ago. I guess I'm the only one with this problem lol.

Matt Sorr

No, a passage doesn't only provide support for the author's argument. There may be instances where the author states something that's not part of their argument and, if one of the ACs directly references that statement, it would be the correct AC. For example, the author may state in a passage that "when more fish are added to a fish tank, the average anxiety level of the fish in the tank increases." Though the author could reference this fact at some point in their argument, it's simply a fact. The statement, by itself, isn't the author making an argument. If you're asked the question "The passage provides the most support for inferring______," and one of the ACs says "the number of fish in a tank can affect the mental health of the fish in the tank," it would be the correct AC.

I hope this answers your question!