MCAT Critical Analysis and Reasoning Skills Question 79: Answer and Explanation
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Question: 79
7. The author provides the most support for which of the following claims?
- A. Derrida draws attention to a limitation of pro-animal ethics which is associated with interventionist violence.
- B. There is simply no way to feed oneself in advanced, industrialized countries without causing some harm to animal life.
- C. All diets have considerably negative effects on the environment and on the humans who produce and harvest food.
- D. Vegetarians are not as ethically pure as vegans, who avoid all animal byproducts in their diets, thereby reducing their environmental harm.
Correct Answer: A
Explanation:
A This is an Evaluate question.
A: Yes. After the author mentions Derrida's concept of "interventionist violence" in paragraph 2, he elaborates upon this term and defines it by means of discussion and example (i.e., naming the Other). Therefore, this, out of the four claims, is the one for which the author provides the most support within the passage.
B: No. This claim is made in the passage (paragraph 1) but the author does not elaborate upon it by providing an explanation of how a vegetarian diet entails harm to animals. First, the following reference to the process by which food arrives at the table still does not explain what the direct or indirect harm might be. Second, the later reference to harm done to the environment hints at an explanation, but only a vague one (there is still no discussion of what that harm might be). Therefore, when comparing this choice to choice A, the statement in choice A is much more strongly supported within the passage.
C: No. This claim is made in the passage (paragraph 1) but the author does not offer specific examples or further explanation of the negative effects mentioned.
D: No. This statement is not made in the passage. The author mentions animal byproducts (second half of paragraph 1), but does not connect this to veganism (which itself is never mentioned-making this connection would require using too much outside knowledge) or suggest that people who avoid animal byproducts are more ethically pure than vegetarians.