SDCAR2010【逻辑入门】(三)Main Point
Prompt for Main Point
• The main point of the argument above is that
• Which one of the following most accurately expresses the editor’s conclusion?
• Which of the following best summarizes the conclusion of the argument?
• The author hopes to prove which of the following?
• The argument seems to lead up to which of the following?
• Which of the following is the author’s main point?
Action Plan
Before looking through the answers,
• Ask yourself, “What is the author trying to prove?” In other words, which statement in the passage is supported by the other statements? A main point is the main conclusion of the passage. It could be at the very end of the passage, but it might show up in the middle or even at the beginning.
• Look for opinion indicators (some teachers think that . . .). Opposing viewpoints usually come right before the author’s main conclusion, which usually starts with but, yet, or however. “Many people think that Tsinghua graduates are sensitive to political issues. But that is not the case because . . .” Here, the author first introduces an opinion of “many people”, then uses the word but to stop telling what others think and start telling what the author thinks. Pay attention to the contrast between two different schools of thoughts or opinions. The following are common structures for arguments:
- Opinion. However, conclusion. Premise.
-Opinion. Although concession, conclusion. Premise.
• Look for premise indicator (because, since, for, due to) to help you find premises and then the main conclusion. Although conclusion indicators (therefore, thus, hence, accordingly) can help you find conclusions, in main point questions, these indicators usually introduce intermediate conclusions to trap you. Otherwise, the question would be too easy to solve. Keep in mind, an intermediate conclusion act as both a premise for the main conclusion and a conclusion for another premise in the same argument.
• Refrain from classifying a sentence as a conclusion merely because it appears to be a declarative sentence. “You need to sleep more” and other declarations are not necessarily conclusions; they could be premises: “I would limit your TV timebecause you need to sleep more.” No statement is inherently a conclusion or a premise; it could be either or neither. What role it plays in the argument simply depends on what the author tries to prove and how he or she does that.
Then look for the answer choice which most accurately restates the main conclusion you found in the passage. Possible wrong answers include 1) restating a premise; 2) listing an intermediate conclusion; 3) giving you something, which with a NEW assumption, could be inferred from the passage (the cardinal sin for Must-be-true type questions).
