MCAT Critical Analysis and Reasoning Skills Question 54: Answer and Explanation

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Test Information

Question: 54

2. The author refers to commentators who speak of judges with the correct sense of the situation in order to:

  • A. Illustrate a way in which a common understanding of basic principles of fair representation might be reached.
  • B. Raise and then challenge a consideration that might be used to support the centrist approach.
  • C. Criticize judges for arriving at overly personal solutions to complex theoretical problems.
  • D. Support the claim that the Voting Rights Act turns on the contestable issue of equal political opportunity.

Correct Answer: B

Explanation:

B This is a Structure question.

A: No. The author suggests the opposite. He states: "Despite such claims, widespread consensus on what should count as the proper sense of the situation" has not emerged (paragraph 7). Furthermore, the commentators themselves are not referring to judges who achieve a common understanding of basic principles, but rather to those who supposedly can come to an accurate understanding of the meaning or purpose of a statute (and how to apply it to a particular case).

B: Yes. A centrist might use the argument that abstract principles need not be considered by voting-rights reform because judges are able "negotiate among the various canons" to interpret and apply statutes without relying on theoretical interpretation. The author goes on to say that this is not in fact the case, because deciding how to interpret a statute requires choosing between basic principles regarding "how the government ought to operate" (paragraphs 7 and 8). Notice that the author introduces the example of these judges with "it is true that," and that the following sentence begins with "Despite such claims." These phrases indicate that the point of view referenced in the question stem tends to challenge the author's overall position.

C: No. There is no criticism of the judges themselves expressed by the author. The implied criticism is of the commentators who make this argument about judges. Also, the problem identified by the author isn't that their approach is too "personal," but rather that it cannot in fact avoid theoretical issues.

D: No. This is the wrong issue. While the author does make this argument in the beginning of paragraph 6, the discussion of judges in paragraph 7 does not itself give evidence that the act depends or hinges on the particular contestable issue of "equal political opportunity."

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