Some argue that laws are

Answer choices

1. A

   Correct80% picked this

   The manner in which laws are applied sometimes takes into account the beliefs of the people

   Why this is right

   This is a modest inference directly supported by the second premise. The stimulus tells us highest courts have on occasion made exceptions for moral or religious beliefs — that is, the application of law has sometimes taken those beliefs into account. The hedge "sometimes" matches the stimulus's "on occasion." The inference is small enough to be safe and large enough to actually say something.

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

   80%
2. B

   Too Strong5% picked this

   The law has as one of its functions the ordering of society but is devoid

   The author says law's primary function is ordering society "regardless of any further moral aims of the law." That language allows that there might be further moral aims — just that they are secondary. This answer says law is "devoid of moral aims" — completely free of them. That goes further than the stimulus supports.

   5%
3. C

   Too Strong3% picked this

   Actions based on religious belief or on moral conviction tend to receive the protection of

   The stimulus says actions based on conscience or religious belief have on occasion been treated as grounds for exception — not that such actions tend to receive court protection. "Tend to" implies a general pattern; "on occasion" is occasional. This is a stronger generalization than the evidence supports.

   3%
4. D

   Too Strong5% picked this

   The way a society is ordered by law should not reflect any moral convictions about the way society

   This is a sweeping prescriptive claim — that society's legal ordering should not reflect any moral convictions. The stimulus only argues that ordering, not moral teaching, is law's primary function. It does not insist that legal ordering must be morality-free, just that morality is secondary. This goes too far.

   5%
5. E

   Too Strong6% picked this

   The best way to promote cooperation among a society’s institutions, organizations, and citizenry is to institute order in that

   "The best way" is a sweeping superlative. The stimulus says law's primary function is to order society, which suggests it is one method — but not that it is the best way to promote cooperation. Other methods (culture, education, economic incentives) might be equally good or better. This goes beyond what the stimulus supports.

   6%