Logical Reasoning

PT154 · S2 · Q13 Advertisers typically prohibit graphic designers

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Advertisers typically prohibit graphic designers from signing their works because the purpose of a graphic design is to draw attention to an advertised product or service, not to the designer.

Conclusion

It is better that graphic designers not remain anonymous.

Evidence

Anonymity undermines effective graphic design by making it difficult to hold designers accountable for their work.

Evaluate

When we're doing Main Conclusion and Role, we prime our brain with one big tendency before we start reading the paragraph: the vast majority of the time, the Conclusion will come before the Evidence.

On Main Conclusion, this manifests in two big patterns: - the very first claim of the paragraph is the Main Conclusion or - the author does a little warm-up with Background or Counterpoint ideas, and then pivots into her Conclusion, usually with a "but, yet, however".

This argument followed that second pattern, introducing a Background / Counterpoint idea (graphic designers aren't allowed to sign their works).

Then it pivots with a "nonetheless" into the Conclusion. Then it supports that Conclusion with Evidence.

Goal

On Main Conclusion, if we found the conclusion, we already did the hard part. Picking a correct answer means that we're just making ourselves pick whichever answer choice is closer in meaning to the claim we identified (and possibly highlighted) as the Main Conclusion.

So we want something that says, .

Consider what an equivalent rephrasing might sound like, to make your listening ears more nimble: / .

13.

Which one of the following most accurately expresses the overall conclusion drawn in the argument?

  1. Prohibitions against graphic designers’ signing

    Background / Counterpoint

    This is the practice that the author is arguing against. Her conclusion is that "it would be better if there were NOT prohibitions against graphic designers' signing their works"

    0% picked this

  2. In advertising, the purpose of

    Premise for the Counterpoint

    This is the reason the advertisers would offer for the practice of forbidding graphic designers from signing their name. Our author is concluding it would be better if we didn't have that practice, based on her premise that putting their name on their work would better hold graphic designers accountable.

    1% picked this

  3. Correct

    It is not desirable that

    Why this is right

    This means basically the same thing as "it is better that graphic designers not remain anonymous".

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

    84% picked this

  4. Graphic design is made less

    Out of Scope: less effective

    This answer is probably tempting, but it's coming from a place of trying to make this question more complicated than it is. Does "it is better that GD's not remain anonymous" mean the same thing as "anonymity makes GD's less effective"? No. The first claim is unspecific about why it would be better that GD's not remain anonymous. The second one giving a specific reason why it would be better. So this answer is a poor match for the conclusion. Additionally, the author's specific reason (revealed in her premise in the final sentence) is not that it makes GD's more effective, but that it makes them more accountable.

    7% picked this

  5. Holding graphic designers accountable for

    Assumption, Not Stated

    This claim was never said, so it can't possibly be a good match for the author's explicit conclusion. This answer just feels "true" because it's a necessary assumption linking the author's premise to her conclusion. Picking this answer is again overcomplicating our actual task: just find the answer choice that matches the claim you picked as the conclusion. If you get down to 2 or 3 choices, you should be asking yourself, "Which one better matches the claim I highlighted as the conclusion?" You can also ask yourself "Why should I believe this?" to test whether the answer choice you're considering was supported in the paragraph. Why should we believe that ... holding GD's accountable is hard if they're anonymous ? There's no reason provided. Meanwhile, for correct answer (C), Why should we believe that ... it is not desirable that GD's remain anonymous? Because ... if they weren't anonymous, they would be more accountable.

    8% picked this

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