Q11 - Counselor: Many people assume

[samuelfbaron]

Could the second sentence "Personal conflicts arise...." be considered a sub-conclusion?

[noah]

This ID the conclusion question presents a typical structure:

People say X, they're wrong, here's why. The "they're wrong" is the conclusion in this structure. (In this case, we get people say X, they're wrong, here's why, with an example of why)

(D) serves us a simple rewording of the "they're wrong.

(A) is the counter conclusion.

(B) is part of the premise example.

(C) is a paraphrasing of the premises.

(E) is part of the premise example.

As for the question:

Could the second sentence "Personal conflicts arise...." be considered a sub-conclusion?

We could say that the second sentence is supported by the ones that follow, however, that second sentence supports the second clause of the first sentence ("but that assumption is just not so.") So, even if it's an intermediate conclusion it's definitely not the main conclusion.

[Emily Madan]

PT68, S3, Q11 (Analyze Argument Structure)
(D) is correct.

When facing a question that directly asks for the conclusion, it’s vital to find the conclusion of the argument before delving into the answer choices. This argument is structured in a classic "conclusion in the middle" structure. All the examples tacked onto the end add to the difficulty of identifying a clear conclusion.

(A) This is tempting mostly because it is the first sentence of the argument. However, the rest of the argument disagrees with this point. This is an OPPOSING POINT

(B) This statement seems to be a conclusion. The example of finding a friend unreliable is a premise that demonstrates more easily ascribing bad qualities than good ones. However, that statement, in turn supports the idea that people are being irrational. That makes answer choice (B) an INTERMEDIATE CONCLUSION, not the main conclusion. Eliminate it.

(C) This answer may be an inference, but it’s not something the counselor ever states. It is certainly not his main point.

(D) This is the correct answer. It counters the opposing point and is followed by an example that provides the support.

(E) This is a premise. It is used to build up the intermediate conclusion, which in turn supports the primary conclusion.