#9 - Terrence Gurney suggests that because his books appeal

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Complete Question Explanation

Main Point­—CE. The correct answer choice is (A)

Terrence Gurney and the author are debating why Gurney has not received due credit for his literary achievements. Both Gurney’s argument and its rebuttal contain causal reasoning, as they present different causes for the same effect:

• Cause Effect
  
  Gurney: Books appeal to a wide audience No credit
  
  Author (counterpremise): Gurney’s writing is flat
  
  Conclusion: Gurney is mistaken.

Whenever the stimulus begins by describing someone else’s position, you can be sure that the author’s conclusion will ultimately counter it. Predictably, the second sentence of the stimulus asserts that Gurney is mistaken in his belief that the wide appeal of his books prevented him from being given credit for his literary achievements. To support her assertion, the author observes that Gurney’s writing is flat, leaving no lasting impression on the reader. By suggesting an alternate cause for Gurney’s failure to receive due credit, the last two sentences provide grounds for accepting the assertion that Gurney is mistaken. Consequently, they function as a premise for the main conclusion of the argument, which can be found in the second sentence of the stimulus. This prephrase helps identify answer choice (A) as correct.

Your ability to quickly identify the correct answer to a Main Point question is directly tied to your understanding of the structure of the argument and its conclusion. Since the correct answer is often simply a paraphrase of the conclusion, test makers often introduce competing viewpoints and counterarguments in order to increase the level of difficulty of the question.

Answer choice (A): This is the correct answer choice, as it is simply a paraphrase of the main conclusion in the second sentence of the stimulus.

Answer choice (B): The author might agree that Gurney’s writing does not deserve much praise; however, this is not the main conclusion of the argument. Your initial prephrase of the conclusion should help you eliminate this answer choice rather quickly.

Answer choice (C): Although the author would agree that Gurney’s writing is flat and leaves no lasting impression on the reader, this is a premise used in support of the conclusion that Gurney is mistaken.

Answer choice (D): This is Gurney’s argument, not the author’s. Be careful to differentiate between competing viewpoints, especially when solving Main Point questions.

Answer choice (E): The author never sought to defend Gurney’s writing, which is why this answer choice can be eliminated relatively quickly.