Q1

[SecondWind180]

I rode the Struggle Bus on this one. I did get it right though (as if it if matters). Please specifically assess my reasoning for why B is wrong and D is correct.

This is a Main Idea/Main Point Question:

A - Only covers ¶1 and the view of the legal scholars

B - Again, as in (A), it only covers ¶1 and not the author's argument

C - The phrase "right to an attorney....opposing counsel." is plagiarized from ¶1 - donesn't cover the author's argument

D - "Best available" "” Gets the author's argument correct

"Lawyers should be mindful of their duty society as well as to their clients..." is reflected in lines (20-23 )

"...base the decision as to whether, and how, to defend a client on the facts of the case." is reflected in lines (42-46)

HOWEVER, I don't love this answer because:

-It omits ¶1 completely and...
-It's, at the most, a VERY opaque answer to the "Is is necessary for defense lawyers to believe that the clients they defend are innocent of the charges against them?" question posed by the author.

E - (E) is like illegal moonshine too damn strong! "obligated .... request" ; "especially" ; "absolutely". This just over sells the answer with too many adverbs.

[ohthatpatrick]

Wow, between introducing me to the phrase "rode the Struggle Bus" and your extensive use of text-formatting, that was a great post! (oh and I guess the logic was solid as well)

You were completely on point on all counts, and I agree that (D) is not a perfect answer, nor does it recap the legal scholars' thoughts from P1.

However, remember not to conflate "which is the Main Point" with "which is the best summary".

If you picture a passage in which the author takes multiple paragraphs to describe the background of a problem and then in the last paragraph suggests a remedy to the problem, the Main Point might only sound like that last paragraph. That's fine. If the purpose of writing the passage was to suggest a remedy, then the remedy itself is the Main Point.

In this passage, the author's purpose is to push back against the views of legal scholars and suggest a different interpretation of what defense lawyers should have as their agenda.

Choice (D) is definitely a fair encapsulation of the author's different interpretation of how defense lawyers should approach their job.

It basically turns out that the rhetorical question used to start this passage is NOT the real backbone topic. A more appropriate question could have been, "What are the proper roles and responsibilities of a defense attorney?"

The question that starts off this passage is really just a way of introducing the legal scholars' point of view, and then in the 2nd paragraph and beyond the author articulates a different point of view.

Ultimately, we never 'let the Perfect be the enemy of the Good'. You had sound reasons for why all the other answers were very inferior to (D). Nice work!

[SecondWind180]

Wow, between introducing me to the phrase "rode the Struggle Bus" and your extensive use of text-formatting, that was a great post! (oh and I guess the logic was solid as well)

Hopefully you found it funny. You Geeks put a lot of thought into your answers, so I figure why not show some appreciation and put good thought into my question?

However, remember not to conflate "which is the Main Point" with "which is the best summary".

Mental lapse on my part...I know this.

It basically turns out that the rhetorical question used to start this passage is NOT the real backbone topic. A more appropriate question could have been, "What are the proper roles and responsibilities of a defense attorney?"

The question that starts off this passage is really just a way of introducing the legal scholars' point of view, and then in the 2nd paragraph and beyond the author articulates a different point of view.

The rhetorical question is what threw me off in this question. It caused me to think that the main idea needed to answer the rhetorical question. Your explanation of the minimal role the rhetorical question plays helps a lot.

Thanks!