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#47218
Please post your questions below!
 bac435@nyu.edu
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#65275
Hi,

Please can you explain why C is wrong and why B is right?

Thanks.
 Adam Tyson
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#65337
The key here is in careful reading, bac435. Most people would look at this argument and assume that they were about to be asked a Point at Issue question, and that their goal would be to select something that the two speakers disagree about. If that were the case, then answer C would look really good - Durham clearly states that the road repair proposal is her top priority, and Espinoza makes clear that preventing a tax increase is an even higher priority. Great answer for Point at Issue - but that's not what this question asked!

Instead, this is a rare Point of Agreement question. What is it that these two speakers would both say is true? As shown above, they would NOT agree that the road repair proposal is her top priority, so answer C is out. The evidence does suggest, however, that approving the tax increase is the only way she will get agreement on that proposal. Durham says so explicitly, and Espinoza implies as much when he says she will not get agreement on the proposal because she will oppose the tax increase. Durham and Espinoza would both say, in response to answer B, "yes, that's true", and that is the correct test to apply to any Point of Agreement question.

Read carefully! Those Point of Agreement questions are rare, and they can sneak up on you when you least expect them!
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 stacyzsong
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#102249
Hi,

My question is why D is wrong and B is right?
 Luke Haqq
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#102290
Hi stacyzsong!

For this type of question, it can be helpful to put an initial for each of the speakers next to contender answer choices. Then ask whether the person would agree or disagree with the answer choice, or put a question mark to denote that one doesn't know one way or another.

So for answer choice (D), "The mayor will not get her road repair proposal passed," we'd have:

D: Disagree
E: Agree
Durham thinks that the mayor will get the road repair proposal passed (and will also agree to a tax increase). Espinoza, by contrast, states that the "mayor will not get her road proposal passed." Since the question stem asks us for what they'd agree about, we can eliminate answer choice (D).

Applying the same test to answer choice (B)--"The only way that the city council will agree to pass the mayor’s road repair proposal is if she agrees to a tax increase"--results in:

D: Agree
E: Agree
Durham states that the tax increase is the "only way" that the city council will agree to the road repair proposal. Espinoza does not dispute this but rather argues that the mayor's priority is not to increase taxes--given this priority, Espinoza concludes that the "mayor will not get her road repair proposal passed."

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