PrepTest 109

Incorrect. John doesn't disagree with Muriel's assessment of how varied Favilla's subject matter is, just whether that speaks to her writing skill. And even Muriel only says that her subject matter isn't varied enough—it could still be widely varied, just not as much as is necessary for one to be considered great.

Incorrect. John doesn't discuss style at all—the criterion that he references is the one that Muriel actually relies on (variety of subject matter), not the one she throws in as a concession ("no matter how . . . ").

Correct. Argument or Facts:
Argument/Argument

Valid or Flawed:
Flawed/Flawed

Question Type:
Point at Issue

Stimulus Summary:
M: Favilla's style is distinctive, but her subject matter is not varied enough, so she's not a great writer.

J: Diverse subject matter isn't required for a writer to be great—just deep theming. So using that criterion is wrong.

Answer Anticipation:
In a Point at Issue question, when the second speaker has the courtesy to tell you what the point at issue is, listen!

Here, John's statement starts out by saying he disagrees with Muriel's criterion, so that's the point at issue. However, to fully anticipate an answer, we need to identify what the criterion is, and what it's being used for.

Checking Muriel's argument, we see that she's judging Favilla's writing—she's not a great writer. And the criterion she uses is whether her subject matter is varied. So the point they disagree on is whether varied subject matter is necessary for one to be considered a great writer.

Answer Explanation:
Muriel uses Favilla's lack of varied subject matter to justify a conclusion that she isn't a great writer, so she's committed to believing that variety is a prerequisite for someone to be great. John says that he thinks she's wrong to use that criterion. This answer, therefore, reflects the point at issue between them.

Key Takeaway:
In Point at Issue questions, always pay attention to the second speaker's opening line. A lot of times, it'll give you a strong hint as to what they disagree with.

Incorrect. There's no discussion of the number of novels a writer has written. The closest mention to that is the variety of subject matter, but there's no indication that there can't be a variety of subject matter within a single book.

Incorrect. Neither speaker discusses the number of writers considered great, and only Muriel brings up someone who shouldn't be considered a great writer. We don't even know if Favilla is generally considered great!