Logical Reasoning

PT120 · S4 · Q3 Professor: The best users of

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Professor: The best users of a language are its great authors.

Statements

The best users of a language are its great authors.

Pivot (however) Great authors often use language in innovative and idiosyncratic ways.

Causal (therefore) Innovative, idiosyncratic use >> less respect for the strictures of proper usage than most people show

Evaluate

The overlapping term "great authors." We have two facts about them, joined with a Pivot.

How does the Pivot create tension? Usually, correct answers address that tension.

Well we heard that great authors are both - best users of a language - less respectful of the strictures of proper usage

That's kind of ironic. The best users are possibly ones who are more likely to use language improperly? (in innovative, idiosyncratic ways)

Goal

Our best guess would probably be that the answer will Reconcile the Pivot and talk about how "best users might not use it properly"?

Or perhaps it will reinforce the causal language and being innovative / idiosyncratic leads to being less respectful of strictly proper usage.

3.

The Professor's statements, if true, most support which one of the following?

  1. People who want to become

    Out of Scope

    There are rare cases where the passage is Descriptive and the correct answer is Normative / Prescriptive, but generally that's a huge red flag. We can't derive "should" statements from this paragraph. Also, why wouldn't it be potentially useful to emulate great author's use of language if you want to also be a great author?

    1% picked this

  2. Writers who do not observe

    Reversal / Negation

    The causality in the passage flowed from having a peculiar / idiosyncratic style to not observing proper language usage. This answer runs the other way, from ignoring proper usage to developing an idiosyncratic style.

    8% picked this

  3. Correct

    Those most talented at using

    Why this is right

    This Reconciles the Pivot, synthesizing the two things we learned about great authors: - they're the best users (most talented) - they're less respectful of strictly proper usage than most of us (not as likely as most to observe proper language)

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

    86% picked this

  4. People who use an innovative

    Unsupported

    Nothing in the statements mentions criticism. Great authors may be celebrated for their idiosyncrasies rather than criticized. How other people react to innovative style is simply not addressed.

    5% picked this

  5. The standard for what constitutes

    Out of Scope

    Like (A), we'd immediately be averse to this by seeing the normative "should" recommendation. The professor never says who should set the standard for proper usage. The statements treat proper usage as something that already exists and that great authors depart from.

    2% picked this

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