PrepTest 144

Incorrect. Sefu obviously agrees with this answer. Annette doesn't commit herself to agreeing with the plan—she could just be offering advice to Sefu without actually having an opinion on it. This is either a point they agree on, or something only Sefu has an opinion on—wrong either way.

Correct. Argument or Facts:
Facts/Argument

Valid or Flawed:
NA/Flawed

Question Type:
Point at Issue

Stimulus Summary:
A: You should take the town council on a trip to convince them your plan is good.

S: But that would give the appearance of undue influence.

Answer Anticipation:
There's not much to either of these statements, so there's not much room for a disagreement to hide. Annette thinks that a certain course of action should be taken; Sefu worries that it would make it seem as if he were bribing the town council. So they disagree over whether he should take people on this trip.

Answer Explanation:
Annette makes this recommendation, but Sefu believes it would give a bad appearance, so this is the point at issue between them.

Key Takeaway:
Many Point at Issue questions feature implied conclusions—a rebuttal to a statement is taken as committing the speaker to disagreeing with that statement, even if it's never explicitly stated. Here, Sefu's objection to Annette's recommendation commits him to disagreeing with it, even if he never explicitly states he thinks he shouldn't take this trip.

Incorrect. Sefu states this, and Annette implies it by stating that the plan is his. It's certainly not a point at issue between them.

Incorrect. Annette agrees with this (unless she's being really sarcastic with her recommendation), but Sefu is silent on it.

Incorrect. Sefu implies he agrees with this, but Annette doesn't discuss the appearance of undue influence, so this answer is out of scope of her statements.