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 ashpine17
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  • Joined: Apr 06, 2021
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#98959
more like what the author thinks the administrators think of the benefits of the legal plan
 Luke Haqq
PowerScore Staff
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#99406
Hi ashpine17!

Answer choice (B) states, "It is identified by the author as one of the primary ways in which plan administrators believe themselves to be contributing materially to the legal profession in return for lawyers' participation."

You mention,

don't get why b is wrong feel that it is something tha tcan be inferred from the passage even if the author doesnt 'explicitly mentions it
If you can anchor this with some line references, that could be useful both as a testing strategy, and also useful for understanding what material in the passage led you to select (B). A reading comprehension question might indeed ask about something that isn't explicitly stated by the author of the passage, but one should still be able to point to material in the passage to support one's answer.

The directors of the plan are mentioned in the previous paragraph (line 27), as well as the benefits they think will accrue to lawyers. It's not clear how specifically that earlier reference connects to the material in another paragraph (line 43), that would make clear that this latter context is describing "what the author thinks the administrators think of the benefits of the legal plan."

It's important, of course, to look at the material surrounding a specific line reference given in a question, such as the sentence before and after the sentence with referenced material. Regarding the mentioned marketing devices, the author explains that "the plans function largely as marketing devices for lawyers who have yet to establish themselves" (lines 42-44). The passage goes on to say through the remainder of the paragraph in which this line reference occurs that this will provide clients with less satisfaction, will contribute to a downward pressure on fees, which more established attorneys don't want, and will result in "a general lowering of quality for clients" (lines 56-57).

These don't seem to be benefits or contributions to the legal profession, as in (B). Rather, they are what the author sees as detrimental effects of the plan on the quality of legal services, as indicated by (A): the mention of marketing devices "points to an aspect of legal plans that the author believes will be detrimental to the quality of legal services."

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