PrepTest 127

Incorrect. This answer is Erich's answer to Leslie's question.

Incorrect. While Leslie and Erich do talk about Erich not being willing to lose a hand to possess the world, that doesn't discuss all "possible gains," so this answer isn't reflective of the argument.

Incorrect. No one takes the position that the treasure is of no value (Leslie doesn't even put the word in finger quotes!).

Incorrect. Leslie's point is that Erich is irrational, not that he can be convinced of this. While this might be an assumption of Leslie's—she is talking to Erich about his irrational behavior, after all, and there'd be little point in that if she didn't think she could convince him of it—it's not the main point of the argument.

Correct. Argument or Facts:
Question/Answer/Argument

Valid or Flawed:
NA/NA/Valid

Question Type:
Main Point

Stimulus Summary:
L: You're being irrational. Would you give up a hand for the world?

E: No.

L: And yet you're destroying your health for a treasure worth less than the world, so you're being irrational.

Answer Anticipation:
Leslie starts her argument by establishing what she's setting out to prove—that Erich's quest for a treasure is irrational. At this point, the default assumption should be that her main point is this—that Erich's acting in an irrational manner. Unless there's a pivot away from trying to prove this, we should look for this as an answer.

From there, she points out what he's sacrificing for the potential gain, and what he'd do in a similar situation (he wouldn't make a lesser sacrifice for more). She then leaves off with saying she rests her case.

Since she never pivoted from the initial point, and her remarks all go to show the irrationality of Erich's actions, the main point is that he's being irrational in hunting for the treasure.

Answer Explanation:
Leslie sets out the entire conversation with the goal of showing Erich that his treasure hunting is irrational and ends with, "I rest my case." In the meantime, she uses Erich's own answer to a question to point out that he's acting in a manner that doesn't align with that considered position. In the end, both the structure and the content of her argument suggests she's out to prove Erich is being irrational, as this answer states.

Key Takeaway:
In a Main Point question, if someone tells you what their main point is, listen to them! You don't want to fall for traps, but you also don't want to make these questions harder than they have to be—and Main Point questions do tend to be on the easier end of the difficulty spectrum.