John’s statements commit him to

Answer choices

1. A

   Correct70% picked this

   Even if the subject matter in Favilla’s writings is not particularly varied, she should not thereby be excluded from

   Why this is right

   This is a correct application of John's first rule about great writers: they don't need varied subject matter. If I say "getting accepted to Harvard law does not require a 170+ on LSAT", then I am committed to believing that "Even if Favilla only scored a 160, she should not thereby be excluded from being considered for acceptance to Harvard". The language of the answer isn't saying that Favilla should be considered a great writer; it's just saying that "lacking diversity in subject matter does not disqualify her from being considered a great writer".

   Skill tested: Must be True · how this choice captures the argument's function is the move to repeat next time.

   70%
2. B

   Contradicted1% picked this

   Even if Favilla cannot explore any particular theme deeply in her writings, she should not thereby be excluded from

   John is committed to believing that if you can't explore a theme deeply, then you're not a great writer.

   1%
3. C

   Illegal Reversal27% picked this

   If Favilla has explored some particular theme exceptionally deeply in her writings, she deserves to be

   John said "if great writer, then explores theme deeply" Great writer --requires--> explore theme deeply He hasn't committed himself to this backwards reading of that conditional: if F has explored theme deeply ? great writer

   27%
4. D

   Wrong Trigger2% picked this

   If the subject matter in Favilla’s writings were exceptionally varied, she would not deserve to be

   The only thing John said that would allow one to prove that someone is not a great writer is if they "do not have the ability to explore a theme deeply". He didn't give us any rule that said, diverse subject matter ? not great writer He just said that you don't need to have diverse subject matter to be a great writer, not that having diverse subject matter prevents you from being a great writer.

   2%
5. E

   Out of Scope: style0% picked this

   If Favilla’s writings show no evidence of a distinctive style, she does not deserve to be

   John didn't talk about style at all. The only ammunition he gave us for judging that someone is not a great writer is if we can establish that they "do not have the ability to explore a theme deeply".

   0%