PT124.S2.Q14 > Question

SECTION 1 · lr

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SECTION 2 · lr

SECTION 3 · lr

SECTION 4 · rc

PASSAGE 1

Question 1 Question 2 Question 3 Question 4 Question 5 Question 6

PASSAGE 2

Question 7 Question 8 Question 9 Question 10 Question 11 Question 12 Question 13 Question 14

PASSAGE 3

Question 15 Question 16 Question 17 Question 18 Question 19

PASSAGE 4

Question 20 Question 21 Question 22 Question 23 Question 24 Question 25 Question 26 Question 27

We should accept the traditional idea that Homer primarily authored both the Iliad and the Odyssey, even though there’s evidence both for and against his authorship. Why? Because there’s no overwhelming evidence on either side.

The argument assumes that, without conclusive evidence, we should err on the side of accepting tradition. That’s the only way to get from the premise that the evidence is inconclusive to the conclusion that we should accept the traditional account. We need to find a principle that reflects the argument’s assumption.

This takes us to the wrong conclusion. The argument says we should accept the traditional explanation, not that we should suspend judgment.

The hypothesis that Homer didn’t write the Iliad and the Odyssey goes against tradition, and the evidence is not overwhelming, so according to this principle we should reject that hypothesis—thus accepting tradition instead. This matches the argument’s assumption.

This just doesn’t make sense, because it would equally support the conclusion that Homer wrote the Iliad and the Odyssey, and the conclusion that he didn’t. That’s not what the argument is saying.

The argument never mentions nontraditional evidence, so this principle wouldn’t apply. And even if it did, that’s necessary, not sufficient—it would only say that we can accept the authority of tradition, not that we should.

There are not two hypotheses mentioned in the argument that conflict with tradition, so this principle doesn’t match the argument’s reasoning.

PrepTest 124 - Section 2 - Question 14

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