Logical reasoning PrepTest 120 · Section 4 · Question 16

Incorrect. Logan says that they don't, and Mendez doesn't challenge that piece of his argument, so this answer isn't a point at issue.

Incorrect. First, the debate is over the usefulness to historians, so this answer is much broader than the stimulus. Second, the debate is over whether newspapers provide important information about the time period, not whether they provide information about newspaper conventions.

Incorrect. Logan doesn't talk about pop art at all, so this answer is out of scope of his argument.

Incorrect. Both speakers address whether old newspapers are useful to historians, not what journalists should do in the modern era, so this answer is out of scope.

Correct. Argument or Facts:
Argument/Argument

Valid or Flawed:
Flawed/Flawed

Question Type:
Point at Issue

Stimulus Summary:
L: Newspapers focus on fluff, not important social changes, so old newspapers are useless to historians.

M: They show what people at a certain time thought/felt.

Answer Anticipation:
For Point at Issue questions, it can be helpful to start with the second speaker's statement when it's meant as a rebuttal. Here, Mendez starts off with a But, showing that he's, well, rebutting Logan's argument.

What does Mendez bring up as a rebuttal? That old newspapers show what people thought and felt at a given time. How does this interact with Logan's argument? It directly counters his conclusion. Logan says that these old newspapers are useless to historians, but Mendez brings up a way that they can be useful to historians.

Since Mendez doesn't say anything else, there can't be any other point at issue between them.

Answer Explanation:
Logan concludes that they are not, but Mendez brings up a way that they can be useful to historians, so this answer is correct.

Key Takeaway:
Especially when the second speaker's statements are very limited, focusing on them and seeing what the point at issue they raise is can be a super quick way to identify the correct answer.