Logical ReasoningDifficulty: Medium

PT121 S1 Q6 Explanation

The public interest comprises many

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Stimulus

The public interest comprises many interests and the broadcast media must serve all of them. Perhaps most television viewers would prefer an action show to an opera. But a constant stream of action shows the public interest. Thus, _______ .

What this question is testing

Most Supported

The Setup

The author lays out two facts. First, "the public interest" includes many different interests, and broadcasters have to serve all of them. Second, even though most viewers might prefer action shows, putting nothing but action shows on every channel would not serve the public interest.

Evaluate

The point being built: the public interest is bigger than what most viewers happen to want. So if broadcasters just program based on popularity, they will end up with all action shows — which fails the public interest test.

Goal

The right answer should complete the thought: broadcasters cannot just look at popularity to do their job. Watch for answers that overshoot — making specific recommendations the argument does not support, or claims about quality that are off-topic.

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The question
6.

Which one of the following most logically completes

Answer choices

  1. Correct75% picked this

    broadcasters’ obligations are not satisfied if they look only to popularity to decide

    Why this is right

    This is the conclusion the premises support. If popularity-based programming would produce all action shows (failing the public interest), then broadcasters cannot fulfill their public interest obligation just by chasing popularity. They have to consider the broader range of interests that make up the public interest. The answer hedges precisely — "not satisfied if they look only to popularity" — exactly the strength the premises license.

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

  2. Too Strong2% picked this

    television networks should broadcast more artistic and cultural shows and fewer

    The argument shows broadcasters must serve more than popularity, but it does not specify that they need more artistic and cultural shows and fewer action shows. The public interest could be served in many ways — sports, news, documentaries, children's programming. Concluding the answer must be more arts and fewer action shows specifically goes beyond what the premises support.

  3. Out of Scope7% picked this

    the public interest should be considered whenever television producers develop a

    The argument is about programming schedules across the broadcast media as a whole, not about how individual producers develop new programs. Whether public interest enters the development of any specific program is a different topic from whether the overall mix of programming serves the public interest.

  4. Out of Scope0% picked this

    the popularity of a television program is a poor indicator of

    The argument never mentions artistic quality. It is about whether the public interest is served — which is about diverse interests, not about the quality of any one show. Popularity may or may not track quality, but the argument does not weigh in on that question.

  5. Too Strong16% picked this

    broadcast media could be rightly accused of neglecting the public interest only if all channels

    "Only if all channels carried mostly action shows" makes neglecting the public interest very narrowly defined. The argument actually works the other way — it offers all-action programming as just one example of failing the public interest. Other failures could occur (e.g., all news, all sports). This answer overspecifies the only condition under which broadcasters could be accused.

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