MCAT Critical Analysis and Reasoning Skills Question 28: Answer and Explanation
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Question: 28
1. Which of the following best describes the author's primary purpose?
- A. To explain the causes of innumeracy and provide options on how to prevent it
- B. To demonstrate that Americans are, on the whole, undereducated
- C. To provide data concerning probabilities of various causes of death
- D. To describe innumeracy and some of its consequences
Correct Answer: D
Explanation:
D This is a Main Idea/Primary Purpose question.
A: No. The author addresses neither the causes of innumeracy, nor any options for preventing it.
B: No. While the passage does suggest that most Americans have a relatively poor understanding of numbers, it does not address the overall level of American education. Lack of education is not described as a cause of innumeracy, nor is innumeracy used as an example for a more general critique of the educational system.
C: No. This choice is too narrow. The author provides data and probabilities in paragraph 3 as examples supporting the broader point of the passage. That is, the purpose of the passage as a whole is not limited to providing death statistics.
D: Yes. The passage describes innumeracy in the first paragraph and discusses its consequences through the rest of the passage.