#5 - Global Reference, Must Be True

[aspiringdefender]

For answer D, the correct answer, I can see how Passage A can be addressed to an audience of bodybuilders, but I don't understand why Passage B can be addressed to a "general audience". My impression of Passage B is that it is more scientific, and therefore my predicted answer was one that indicated that Passage B was addressed to some sort of a more professional community (i.e. scholars). I have encountered questions in RC like this before, where something distinctively scientific is somehow actually meant to be addressed to a general audience.

In the future, how should I approach questions like these? How do I assess the audience type of a passage?

[Dana D]

Hey aspiringdefender,

I think the language of passage B is a good clue that it's not written for an academic or scholarly source. While it contains evidence to support the point, this is they type of passage that I could see in a NY Times or Men's Health article. Look at the first sentence "pumping up is easier for people who have been buff before" - you wouldn't see that in an academic journal, but it makes the content relatable and understandable to the general public. The passage is pretty informal in general.

Hope that helps!