PrepTest 149

Incorrect. This answer doesn't speak to whether the government is justified in outlawing such behavior, so it doesn't impact the argument.

Incorrect. The conclusion is about valid justification for the government to outlaw behavior, not personal obligations, so this answer is out of scope.

Incorrect. not Emotional or financial costs on others → not Government justified in banning behavior. However, the stimulus notes that risky behavior does impose emotional and financial costs on others, so this answer choice doesn't address the behavior from the stimulus. This answer is an illegal negation of an answer that would justify the argument.

Correct. Argument or Facts:
Argument

Valid or Flawed:
Flawed

Question Type:
Weaken (Principle)

Stimulus Summary:
Injuring yourself hurts others who care about you, so the government is justified in outlawing risky behavior.

Answer Anticipation:
This argument reaches a conclusion that the government is justified in banning risky behavior because this type of behavior inevitably harms others—those who are close to the person engaged in the behavior. The correct answer should establish that this isn't a sufficient reason for the government to limit a behavior—either by directly stating that, or by stating that the government is justified in limiting only behavior that doesn't fall into this category.

Answer Explanation:
The laws in question would limit personal freedom. Meade states the government is justified in outlawing these behaviors based on the harm they impose on others. If that harm doesn't justify outlawing the behavior, then the argument falls apart. This principle undermines the argument, so it's correct.

Key Takeaway:
Weaken (Principle) questions are much less common than Strengthen (Principle) questions, but the answers are similar. In a Strengthen (Principle) question, we're used to getting a scenario and judgment (conclusion) in the stimulus, with a correct answer that establishes the scenario justifies the judgment in the conclusion. That pattern still applies to Weaken (Principle) questions—the only difference is that the correct answer will state that the scenario doesn't justify the judgment in the conclusion. If you're finding Strengthen (Principle) questions easier, you might try anticipating the correct answer to that question, and then just throwing in a "not".

Incorrect. This answer, similar to (B), is about a personal obligation, not governmental action, so it's out of scope.