SDCAR2010【逻辑入门】（三）Main Point

sdcar2010

Prompt for Main Point

·        The main point of the argument above is that

·        Which one of the following most accurately expresses the editor’s conclusion?

·        Which of the following best summarizes the conclusion of the argument?

·        The author hopes to prove which of the following?

·        The argument seems to lead up to which of the following?

·        Which of the following is the author’s main point?

Action Plan

Before looking through the answers,

·        Ask yourself, “What is the author trying to prove?” In other words, which statement in the passage is supported by the other statements? A main point is the main conclusion of the passage. It could be at the very end of the passage, but it might show up in the middle or even at the beginning.

·        Look for opinion indicators (some teachers think that .. .). Opposing viewpoints usually come right before the author’s main conclusion, which usually starts with but, yet, or however. “Many people think that Tsinghua graduates are sensitive to political issues. But that is not the case because .. .” Here, the author first introduces an opinion of “many people”, then usesthe word but to stop telling what others think and start telling what the author thinks. Pay attention to the contrast between two different schools of thoughts or opinions. The following are common structures for arguments:
- Opinion. However, conclusion. Premise.
- Opinion. Although concession, conclusion. Premise.

·        Look for premise indicator (because, since, for, due to) to help you find premises and then the main conclusion. Although conclusion indicators (therefore, thus, hence, accordingly) can help you find conclusions, in main point questions, these indicators usually introduce intermediate conclusions to trap you. Otherwise,the question would be too easy to solve. Keep in mind, an intermediate conclusion act as both a premise for the main conclusion and a conclusion for another premise in the same argument.

·        Refrain from classifying asentence as a conclusion merely because it appears to be a declarative sentence. “You need to sleep more” and other declarations are not necessarily conclusions; they could be premises: “I would limit your TV time because you need to sleep more.” No statement is inherently a conclusion or a premise; it could be either or neither. What role it plays in the argument simply depends on what the author tries to prove and how he or she does that.

Then look for the answer choice which most accurately restates the main conclusion you found in the passage. Possible wrong answers include 1) restating a premise; 2) listing an intermediate conclusion; 3) giving you something, which, with a NEW assumption, could be inferred from the passage (the cardinal sin for Must-be-true type questions).

The following are some questions for you to practice what you justlearned:

1) As one who has always believed that truth is our nation’s surest weapon in the propaganda war against our foes, I am distressed by reports of “disinformation” campaigns by American intelligence agents in Western Europe. In a disinformation campaign, untruths are disseminated throughgullible local journalists in order to damage the interests of our enemies andprotect our own. Those who defend this practice say that lying is necessary tocounter Soviet disinformation campaigns aimed at damaging America’s politicalinterests. These apologists contend that one must fight fire with fire. I wouldpoint out to the apologists that the fire department finds water moreeffective.

The author’s main point is that

(A) Although disinformation campaigns may be effective, they areunacceptable on ethical grounds
(B) America’s moral standing in the world depends on its adherenceto the truth
(C) The temporary political gains produced by disinformationcampaigns generally give way to long-term losses
(D) Soviet disinformation campaigns have done little to damageAmerica’s standing in Europe
(E) Disinformation campaigns do not effectively serve thepolitical interests of the United States


2) Johnson is on firm ground when he asserts that the earlyeditors of Dickinson’s poetry often distorted her intentions. Yet Johnson’sown, more faithful, text is still guilty of its own forms of distortion. Tostandardize Dickinson‘s often indecipherable handwritten punctuation by the useof the dash is to render permanent a casual mode of poetic phrasing thatDickinson surely never expected to see in print. It implies that Dickinsonchose the dash as her typical mark of punctuation when, in fact, she apparentlynever made any definitive choice at all.

Which of the following best summarizes the author’s main point?

(A) Although Johnson is right in criticizing Dickinson’s earlyeditors for their distortion of her work, his own text is guilty of equallyserious distortions.
(B) Johnson’s use of the dash in his text of Dickinson’s poetrymisleads readers about the poet’s intentions.
(C) Because Dickinson never expected her poetry to be published,virtually any attempt at editing it must run counter to her intentions.
(D) Although Johnson’s attempt to produce a more faithful text ofDickinson’s poetry is well meaning, his study of the material lacks sufficientthoroughness.
(E) Dickinson’s editors, including Johnson, have failed to dealadequately with the problem of deciphering Dickinson’s handwritten manuscripts.


3) Theater Critic: The play La Finestrina, now at Central Theater,was written in Italy in the eighteenth century. The director claims that thisproduction is as similar to the original production as is possible in a moderntheater. Although the actor who plays Harlequin the clown gives a performancevery reminiscent of the twentieth-century American comedian Groucho Marx,Marx’s comic style was very much within the comic acting tradition that hadbegun in sixteenth-century Italy.

The considerations given best serve as part of an argument that

(A) Modern audiences would find it hard to tolerate certaincharacteristics of a historically accurate performance of an eighteenth-centuryplay
(B) Groucho Marx once performed the part of the characterHarlequin in La Finestrina
(C) In the United States the training of actors in the twentiethcentury is based on principles that do not differ radically from those thatunderlay the training of actors in eighteenth-century Italy
(D) The performance of the actor who plays Harlequin in LaFinestrina does not serve as evidence against the director’s claim
(E) The director of La Finestrina must have advised the actor whoplays Harlequin to model his performance on comic performances of Groucho Marx


4) Recently, environmentalists have argued that the government should stopadding fluoride to our water supply. I think this is wrong. I support addingfluoride to our water supply for the same reason I support adding iodine tocommon table salt. I admit that the addition of iodine to table salt has provenbenefits and is far less controversial than the addition of fluoride to thewater supply. Still, I wonder if the same environmentalists who argue againstfluoride would argue against iodine.

Which of the following is the author’s main point?

(A) The addition of fluoride to our water supply should continue.
(B) Fluoride should be considered to be as safe and beneficial as iodine.
(C) The government should continue any efforts it feels are in the public’sbest interests.
(D) Environmentalists are unable to recognize the benefits of iodine in tablesalt.
(E) Environmentalists should not be believed in matters of public health.

SDCAR2010【逻辑入门】（二）More about Argument Components

SDCAR2010【逻辑入门】（四）Role (Boldface)

fangsigaoa

牛牛的贴！
先顶再看

zhangyina

sdcar大牛越来越是我膜拜对象了！！！

灭绝湿太

顶！！！！！！！

Aviva0307

这节的感觉：
1.读文章时，套行文模式不是万能的。比如没有明确标志词的，最好是跟着作者思路走，边读边思考每句话在行文中的作用，中心意思自然凸显。（貌似清晰、准确地理解句子很重要。句子读懂个大概但不准确，常因误解导致选错，不知有没有快速有效的提高方法？）

2.读选项时，有效排除。


BTW：习题2的“To standardize Dickinson‘s often indecipherable handwritten punctuation by the use of the dash is to render permanent a casual mode of poetic phrasing that Dickinson surely never expected to see in print.”这句话，不是很理解。

习题4，是选A吗？

期待指导~~

sdcar2010

To standardize Dickinson‘s often indecipherable handwritten punctuation by the use of the dash is to render permanent a casual mode of poetic phrasing that Dickinson surely never expected to see in print.

1) Dickinson sometimes wrote some punctuations which are hard to read.
2) Johnson universally replaced the above hard-to-read punctuations in Dickinson's poems with a dash.
3) The author thinks that such kind of "standardization" by Johnson created an result which Dickinson did not expect to see (against the original author's will)

For question 4, the answer is A). Good job.

fangsigaoa

答案是：E E D A么？
求指导！

sdcar2010

You got all the answers correct except 2). Nice work.

Johnson is on firm ground when he asserts that the early editors of Dickinson’s poetry often distorted her intentions. YetJohnson’s own, more faithful, text is still guilty of its own forms of distortion. To standardize Dickinson‘s often indecipherable handwritten punctuation by the use of the dash is to render permanent a casual mode of poetic phrasing that Dickinson surely never expected to see in print. It implies that Dickinson chose the dash as her typical mark of punctuation when, in fact, she apparently never made any definitive choice at all.

Opinion. Yet, conclusion. Premise.

fangsigaoa

You got all the answers correct except 2). Nice work.

Johnson is on firm ground when he asserts that the early editors of Dickinson’s poetry often distorted her intentions. YetJohnson’s own, more faithful, text is still guilty of its own forms of distortion. To standardize Dickinson‘s often indecipherable handwritten punctuation by the use of the dash is to render permanent a casual mode of poetic phrasing that Dickinson surely never expected to see in print. It implies that Dickinson chose the dash as her typical mark of punctuation when, in fact, she apparently never made any definitive choice at all.

Opinion. Yet, conclusion. Premise.

-- by 会员 sdcar2010 (2011/6/13 11:23:52)

是不是b ???A错在"equally"?

sdcar2010

You got all the answers correct except 2). Nice work.

Johnson is on firm ground when he asserts that the early editors of Dickinson’s poetry often distorted her intentions. YetJohnson’s own, more faithful, text is still guilty of its own forms of distortion. To standardize Dickinson‘s often indecipherable handwritten punctuation by the use of the dash is to render permanent a casual mode of poetic phrasing that Dickinson surely never expected to see in print. It implies that Dickinson chose the dash as her typical mark of punctuation when, in fact, she apparently never made any definitive choice at all.

Opinion. Yet, conclusion. Premise.

-- by 会员 sdcar2010 (2011/6/13 11:23:52)

是不是b ???A错在"equally"?

-- by 会员 fangsigaoa (2011/6/13 11:54:56)

Bingo! You got it!