Logical reasoning PrepTest 144 · Section 3 · Question 4

Correct. Argument or Facts:
Argument/Argument

Valid or Flawed:
Flawed/Flawed

Question Type:
Point at Issue

Stimulus Summary:
J: Community colleges work to meet community needs. Universities have different primary goals, so they don't do the same.

M: Universities all have a primary goal of meeting community needs. Anyone attending either type of institution does so to prepare for a career.

Answer Anticipation:
James and Margaret both discuss universities and community colleges. While James brings up differences between the two, Margaret discusses similarities. We therefore need to find an answer that reflects something James believes is a difference while Margaret believes is a similarity.

Margaret brings up two similarities, and one has to do with the people attending these schools. Since James doesn't discuss the students, that can't serve as the basis for a point at issue. So her first statement must be the point at issue—that universities have a primary goal of serving the communities in which they're located.

James discusses primary goals, as well—he states that community colleges and universities have different primary goals, and a community college inherently works to meet the needs of the community in which it's located. So he believes that universities, in having different primary goals, aren't primarily concerned with meeting these community needs, whereas Margaret believes that they do. This is the point at issue between them, and so the correct answer should reflect it.

Answer Explanation:
Margaret opens her statements by stating this, so she's in agreement. James notes that it's a primary goal of community colleges to serve the educational needs of its community, and universities have different primary goals, so he disagrees with this answer. This is the point at issue between them.

Key Takeaway:
The key structures, methods of reasoning, and types of logic that we've discussed throughout other question types can just as easily come into play in a Point at Issue question. Here, noting that the two speakers were focused on similarities and differences between universities and community colleges was key to identifying the point at issue between them.

Incorrect. The two speakers debate the goals of these institutions, not the actual impact they have on the local communities. The institutions may fail to serve local educational needs even while having it as a goal, or they may serve those needs despite not aiming to do so.

Incorrect. Margaret is the only one who discusses the goals of the students, or career prep, so this answer is out of scope of James's comments.

Incorrect. Neither speaker discusses what the educational needs of the communities are, just that they have them.

Incorrect. Margaret states this directly, but James doesn't discuss the reasons students have for attending an institution of higher education, so this answer is out of scope of his argument.