PrepTest 156 - Section 3 - Passage 1 - Question 4

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Two competing demands we make of the law create a troubling conflict that contributes to the law's frequent failure to deliver what we imagine it should. ███

Intro Topic · Two conflicting demands on law

There are two conflicting things we want in law.

Demand 1 · Formalism

Formal justice means we want law to be rational, consistently applied, and blind to the different social and economic situations of the people it applies to.

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Demand 2 · Substantivism

Substantive justice means we want law to be fair in individual cases and sensitive to the context of those cases.

Sub-conclusion · Cannot reconcile two demands

Formalism and substantive justice can’t be reconciled until there is a reasonable degree of social equality.

Main Conclusion · Abandon formalism

If we can’t have the kind of equality necessary for reconciling formalism and substantive justice, we should abandon formalism in favor of substantive justice.

Passage Style

Problem-analysis

Single position

The author's primary purpose in ██████████ ███ ████ ████ ███████ ████ ████ ██ ██ ███████████ ██████ ██ ███ ██████ ████████ ██ ███ ██████ ██████████ ██ ██

Question Type

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

Structure

In the first sentence of paragraph two, the author introduces the concept that he later calls substantive justice. In the second sentence, he further defines substantive justice – it involves results that “we can recognize as fair and equitable.” In the third sentence, the author begins, “[Justice that is substantive] need not be the outcome that we, as individual parties would want … .” This is the part that immediately precedes the phrase we’re being asked about.

Since the first two sentences tell us what substantive justice is, and the third sentence tells us what substantive justice is not, the purpose of the phrase is to help define the contours of substantive justice. To give readers a better understanding of what the author means by saying that substantive justice must deliver results that are “fair and equitable.”

The sentence after the line we’re asked about confirms this understanding of the purpose. The fourth sentence begins, “But [substantive justice] must at least be an outcome that we, as parties and observers, can accept as legitimate and justifiable … .” This sentence is a further attempt to define the meaning of substantive justice.

So, the claim we’re being asked about in the third sentence is an attempt to help define the meaning of substantive justice.

emphasize the systemic ██████ ██ ███ ███████ ███████ █████████ ███ ███████████ ███████

The point about the systemic nature of the tension is first raised in the last paragraph. So, this cannot be the purpose of the claim we’re being asked about.

imply that, invariably, ███████ ████ ████ ███ ███████ ██ █ █████ ██████████ ██ ██████

(B) does not capture the purpose of the claim we’re being asked about. You may think that (B) is something supported by the claim. (It isn’t actually supported, which I’ll explain in a moment). But even if it were supported, in order to be correct, it has to capture why the author wanted to tell us that some people in an adversarial system must lose. Here, given the sentences before and after the claim we were asked about, the purpose must relate to defining substantive justice. The author does convey to us that someone will lose – but the purpose of telling us that is to explain what substantive justice does not require.

The second reason (B) is wrong is that it’s not actually supported by the line we’re asked about. Although the author does say that someone must lose in an adversarial system, that does not imply that someone will always view the outcome as unfair. In fact, even a party that loses might still view the outcome as fair and legitimate, despite their loss.

15%

suggest that the █████ ██ █████████ ███ ██ ██████ ████ ████ ███████ ██ ███

The line we’re asked about is part of a section that defines substantive justice. The purpose of the line is not related to the flaws of formalism.

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(D) is the best fit for the purpose we anticipated – helping to define substantive justice. The line we were asked about emphasizes what substantive justice is not. It’s not required to produce outcomes where everyone wins. In showing what substantive justice does not require, the author helps us understand what substantive justice does require.

81%

foreshadow the author's ██████████ █████ ███ ████████ █████████████████ ██ █████████ ███ ███████████ ███████

Nothing in the second paragraph hints at the author’s later conclusion that formalism and substantive justice cannot be reconciled. The purpose of the line we’re asked about is to define substantive justice.

PrepTest 156 - Section 3 - Passage 1 - Question 4

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