PrepTest 157

Question Type:
Tone/Author Agree

Strategy Overview:
Review the main point, and use notes or highlighted/underlined text in the passage to recall the author's attitude, and find the answer that best reflects your understanding of the main point/author's attitude

Answer Anticipation:
This question asks us about the author's view, but doesn't provide any insight into the topic of the correct answer or where the supporting information might show up in the passage. This means the correct answer is likely to relate back to the author's main point. As such, we'll need to rely on our big-picture understanding of the passage to answer this question. We should start by reminding ourselves of the main point (either by reviewing what we said after reading the passage or by rereading our answer to the main point question). We can also review any notes about the author's attitude or any text we highlighted because it expressed the author's opinion. After doing that, we can head to the answers, deferring on those that don't line up with the main point. For those that do, we'll use our notes and the passage to see if it's correct.

Answer Choice Explanation:
This doesn't conflict with the author's main point. Remember, the author thinks that patent protection should not cover computers' software or constituent algorithms. And, whether we can recall the following fact on our own or need to consult our notes or the passage, we can recall that patents do not protect laws of nature or logical axioms (P2, S5). So, there's reason to believe that the author thinks that algorithms are similar to laws of nature and logical axioms. An efficient test-taker may note that this answer choice was consistent with the author's main point and is probably correct. Then, they'd look to see if they could eliminate the remaining answer choices without reviewing the passage before returning and selecting this answer choice.

If they weren't able to eliminate the remaining choices, they could return to the passage and find the reference to laws of nature and logical axioms in the third paragraph. They'd see that the text supports the inference that the author believes algorithms are similar to laws of nature and logical axioms. They'd notice how the author says, after claiming that patents do not protect laws of nature and logical axioms, that patents shouldn't protect algorithms "[o]n similar grounds" (P2, S7). There, the author draws a line connecting algorithms to laws of nature and logical axioms, making this the correct answer.

Key Takeaway:
Many test-takers have an urge to look back at the passage on questions that appear to ask about more minor details. Acting on this urge can prevent these test-takers from reliably finishing Reading Comprehension sections within the allotted time. Fight this urge and let your understanding of the main point and your memory of the passage guide your decision-making. Even if you don't have a strong recollection of the passage's details, it's possible to do most detail-oriented questions without looking back to the passage. 

This conflicts with the author's main point. Remember, the author does not think that patent protection should cover computers' software or constituent algorithms. We should also recall that patents cover "genuine inventive efforts." So the author almost certainly disagrees with this sentiment, and it should be eliminated without consulting the passage.

Do you remember reading anything about copyright requiring algorithms to be "previously unused"? Probably not. A risk-averse test-taker might defer on this answer choice. On the other hand, a more risk-accepting test-taker would take that as a sign that this topic was not discussed in the passage, so we cannot say whether the author agrees with it. And if you did eventually review the passage, you wouldn't find any references to "previously unused algorithms."

This conflicts with the main point. The author didn't think patent proponents underestimated the risk of copycat programming or that patent protection was inadequate to deter copycat programming. The author acknowledges that patent and copyright proponents seek to protect software innovators from copycat programmers (P1, S4). The author's main point was that patent protection is unnecessary to accomplish this goal. So the author almost certainly disagrees with this sentiment, and it should be eliminated without consulting the passage.

Do you recall reading about "literary works"? Probably not. If you don't remember reading about a detail, simply defer and move on to the next answer choice. A risk-averse test-taker might defer on this answer choice. On the other hand, a more risk-accepting test-taker would take that as a sign that this topic was not discussed in the passage, so we cannot say whether the author agrees with it. And if you did eventually review the passage, you wouldn't find any comparisons to literary works.