Brief Statements
Help Questions
Praxis Reading › Brief Statements
According to the 2011 Census, just under 33,000 Canadians self-identified as Buddhist. As a devoted member of a secluded Buddhist community, that number seemed low to me.
The first sentence of the passage expresses a(n) while the second expresses a(n) .
quantifiable fact . . . opinion
opinion . . . quantifiable fact
example . . . quantifiable fact
educated opinion . . . invalid opinion
statistic . . . educated opinion based on private research
Explanation
This question asks you to make a simple distinction between fact and opinion. The first sentence cites a statistical, quantifiable fact (note that the number quoted is particular to the number on the Census, and no broader claim is made), the second expresses a purely speculative opinion based on anecdotal evidence particular to the speaker's experiences and cultural context.
If Gerald is a ne'er do well and ne'er do wells always miss their trains, it is reasonable to expect that Gerald will miss all his other scheduled appointments.
The given statement makes .
a leap of logic that leads it to reach an unsupported conclusion
a reasonable inference
a logically consistent argument
a logically coherent claim supported by anecdotal evidence
a plea to evidence
Explanation
The logical conditions stated in the introductory clause of this brief statement would ONLY logically support the assertion that Gerald would always his trains. The leap to all other appointments is not logical, as it glosses over innumerable potentially relevant factors.
Kelvyn is a bully and a misanthrope, not to mention that his hygiene leaves much to be desired. Last week his odor remained in my nostrils for days after he left.
The bolded and underlined phrase "not to mention that," serves what purpose in the passage overall?
It continues the trend of enumerating negative qualities that began in the first clause, but facilitates a transition into a different kind of negative quality
It facilitates a transition from listing negative qualities to listing positive qualities
It facilitates a sudden transition from listing negative qualities to describing neutral qualities
It facilitates a purely grammatical transition
None of these
Explanation
This is a pretty simple question. "Not to mention that" is a transition phrase used to signal an addition that matches in spirit with a statement that has already been made. The first clause identifies Kelvyn as a bully and a misanthrope, both negative qualities, before adding on another, somewhat unrelated, negative quality, poor hygiene.
Kelvyn is a bully and a misanthrope, not to mention that his hygiene leaves much to be desired. Last week his odor remained in my nostrils for days after he left.
The bolded and underlined phrase "not to mention that," serves what purpose in the passage overall?
It continues the trend of enumerating negative qualities that began in the first clause, but facilitates a transition into a different kind of negative quality
It facilitates a transition from listing negative qualities to listing positive qualities
It facilitates a sudden transition from listing negative qualities to describing neutral qualities
It facilitates a purely grammatical transition
None of these
Explanation
This is a pretty simple question. "Not to mention that" is a transition phrase used to signal an addition that matches in spirit with a statement that has already been made. The first clause identifies Kelvyn as a bully and a misanthrope, both negative qualities, before adding on another, somewhat unrelated, negative quality, poor hygiene.
According to the 2011 Census, just under 33,000 Canadians self-identified as Buddhist. As a devoted member of a secluded Buddhist community, that number seemed low to me.
The first sentence of the passage expresses a(n) while the second expresses a(n) .
quantifiable fact . . . opinion
opinion . . . quantifiable fact
example . . . quantifiable fact
educated opinion . . . invalid opinion
statistic . . . educated opinion based on private research
Explanation
This question asks you to make a simple distinction between fact and opinion. The first sentence cites a statistical, quantifiable fact (note that the number quoted is particular to the number on the Census, and no broader claim is made), the second expresses a purely speculative opinion based on anecdotal evidence particular to the speaker's experiences and cultural context.
According to the 2011 Census, just under 33,000 Canadians self-identified as Buddhist. As a devoted member of a secluded Buddhist community, that number seemed low to me.
The first sentence of the passage expresses a(n) while the second expresses a(n) .
quantifiable fact . . . opinion
opinion . . . quantifiable fact
example . . . quantifiable fact
educated opinion . . . invalid opinion
statistic . . . educated opinion based on private research
Explanation
This question asks you to make a simple distinction between fact and opinion. The first sentence cites a statistical, quantifiable fact (note that the number quoted is particular to the number on the Census, and no broader claim is made), the second expresses a purely speculative opinion based on anecdotal evidence particular to the speaker's experiences and cultural context.
Kelvyn is a bully and a misanthrope, not to mention that his hygiene leaves much to be desired. Last week his odor remained in my nostrils for days after he left.
The bolded and underlined phrase "not to mention that," serves what purpose in the passage overall?
It continues the trend of enumerating negative qualities that began in the first clause, but facilitates a transition into a different kind of negative quality
It facilitates a transition from listing negative qualities to listing positive qualities
It facilitates a sudden transition from listing negative qualities to describing neutral qualities
It facilitates a purely grammatical transition
None of these
Explanation
This is a pretty simple question. "Not to mention that" is a transition phrase used to signal an addition that matches in spirit with a statement that has already been made. The first clause identifies Kelvyn as a bully and a misanthrope, both negative qualities, before adding on another, somewhat unrelated, negative quality, poor hygiene.
If Gerald is a ne'er do well and ne'er do wells always miss their trains, it is reasonable to expect that Gerald will miss all his other scheduled appointments.
The given statement makes .
a leap of logic that leads it to reach an unsupported conclusion
a reasonable inference
a logically consistent argument
a logically coherent claim supported by anecdotal evidence
a plea to evidence
Explanation
The logical conditions stated in the introductory clause of this brief statement would ONLY logically support the assertion that Gerald would always his trains. The leap to all other appointments is not logical, as it glosses over innumerable potentially relevant factors.
If Gerald is a ne'er do well and ne'er do wells always miss their trains, it is reasonable to expect that Gerald will miss all his other scheduled appointments.
The given statement makes .
a leap of logic that leads it to reach an unsupported conclusion
a reasonable inference
a logically consistent argument
a logically coherent claim supported by anecdotal evidence
a plea to evidence
Explanation
The logical conditions stated in the introductory clause of this brief statement would ONLY logically support the assertion that Gerald would always his trains. The leap to all other appointments is not logical, as it glosses over innumerable potentially relevant factors.
If what the reader is looking for is careful craft, minute attention to detail, and detailed plotting, they may doubt the talents of Richard Browler. If, on the other hand, the reader values the higher values to be found in literature, originality, style, humor, grace and intellectual engagement, they will find much to love in the Browler canon.
The author of this passage .
believes that Browler's work is of value, as his strengths are of more value than his bad traits are of negative value
believes that Browler is a sloppy writer whose plots are lacking
believes that Browler's literary vices and virtues are equally balanced
does not express, nor give hints about his/her, opinion on the nature of Browler's work
None of these
Explanation
This brief statement begins by enumerating the factors that may lead a reader to "doubt the talents of Richard Browler," and then pivots into describing the virtues of his work. The key to figuring out which side of these vices and virtues the author lies can be found in the phrase "the higher values to be found in literature," which clearly lets the reader that the author values the positive traits as more important than the negative ones.