Logical reasoning PrepTest 116 · Section 3 · Question 14

Incorrect. First, the argument is about whether they've reinforced stereotypes, not influenced them. Even then, the Social Critic doesn't believe they've had much of an effect on modern society since no one has listened to them.

Incorrect. A good sign this answer is wrong is that it doesn't discuss Bizet and Verdi at all—and they were the main topic of the stimulus. The argument isn't over how similar the images of women are, but rather whether these two specific composers are reinforcing stereotypes in modern society.

Correct. Argument or Facts:
Argument

Valid or Flawed:
Flawed

Question Type:
Main Point

Stimulus Summary:
Bizet and Verdi — 19th century European composers whose works reflect that world
Recent studies — B&V reinforce in society many stereotypes about women
Rebuttal — Almost no North American has listened to their works

Answer Anticipation:
This is a very interesting Main Point question, and one that falls into a category of this question type that can be difficult to find the answer to—Main Point questions with implied conclusions. If you read the question stem, you can even see that it's hinting at a conclusion outside of what is explicitly stated in asking about the conclusion that the argument is structured to establish"—in other words, where is this leading?

After providing background information, the Social Critic brings up what "[s]everal recent studies" argue. Whenever the author of an argument brings up an opposing point (and attributing a statement to a specific group or individual is almost always done to bring in an opposing point), the author's opinion of that viewpoint is almost always the main point.

However, there are different opinions that the Social Critic here might have on the conclusion of these studies. She could believe that they are wrong, that they are unsupported, or that they're right but not for the reasons stated, among others. It's important to analyze the evidence presented (and, if it were stated, the language of the conclusion) to see what that point is.

Here, the opposing conclusion is that the works of these two composers have reinforced in society stereotypes about women. The Critic's rebuttal is that almost no one has listened to them. So she's not taking issue with whether the works do reinforce such stereotypes—but rather whether they'd had the effect "in our society" of reinforcing them.

And highlighting that almost no one has listened to these works would lead to the conclusion that they haven't had such an influence. So that's what we should look for in a correct answer.

Answer Explanation:
The author pivots away from the view that B&V are reinforcing stereotypes of women in modern society and then brings up information that would suggest their influence is minimal. That pivot is meant to lead to this conclusion, so this is the correct answer.

Key Takeaway:
Some Main Point questions (generally those that ask about what the argument is structured to lead to) will have an implied conclusion. These usually feature an opposing point and a pivot. See if the pivot raises questions about the truth of the opposing point, or the logic, and pick an answer reflecting that!

Incorrect. This answer is too broad—the Social Critic limits her discussion to Bizet and Verdi, not all opera.

Incorrect. This answer is an assumption of the argument, but it's not what the argument is leading to. Similar to (B), this answer doesn't address the topic of the argument, and it's weird for a conclusion to avoid discussing the topic.