Commentator: Many social critics

Answer choices

1. A

   Strengthens5% picked this

   widespread cynicism is beneficial to the well-being

   The author is arguing that the cynicism of journalists is not undermining the well-being of society, so this answer choice would strengthen the author's position.

   5%
2. B

   No Impact7% picked this

   cynicism about the motives of powerful people increases with the amount of information one

   We only care about the cynicism of journalists. It's not clear whether this answer is talking about their cynicism or people's, more broadly. Do journalists now have more information about rich people? It's not established anywhere in the paragraph and we can't make an assumption there, so we have no way to use this answer to even infer whether there is currently more or less or equal cynicism concerning the motives of powerful people.

   7%
3. C

   Out of Scope: genuine7% picked this

   the work of contemporary journalists reflects a cynicism that is not

   It's not clear how it would affect this argument if cynicism is sincere vs. disingenuous. The crux of the argument is simply that since the cynicism has always been there, we shouldn't believe that it's currently contributing to undermining society's well-being.

   7%
4. D

   Out of Scope: accurate1% picked this

   any accurate description of human behavior portrays it

   This feels more like it is trying to defend the journalists' practice of pointing out the selfish motives of rich philanthropists. We need to be more specific about critiquing the author's reasoning move from, "Journalists have always been cynical" to "Journalists' cynicism is currently undermining our well-being." The author isn't saying journalists shouldn't be cynical or should be ... she isn't saying it's accurate or inaccurate for them to point out the selfishness of rich people. She's only debating whether this cynical approach is / isn't a causal contributor to undermining society. I might think that religious beliefs are totally inaccurate and that secular beliefs are accurate descriptions of reality, but I could still believe that religious beliefs contribute to the well-being of society and that secular beliefs undermine the well-being. Accuracy and causal-effect are two completely separate topics.

   1%
5. E

   Correct80% picked this

   cynicism of this type on the part of journalists has always had a negative effect on

   Why this is right

   If the author says, "journalists have always been cynical", and we say, "yes, and cynicism of this type has always had a negative effect on the well-being of society", then we are basically punching the conclusion in the face.

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

   80%