Q6 - Elena: The best form of government

[jamiejames]

Im having some real real trouble understanding this question, could someone explain the correct and incorrect answer choice(s). Thank you!

[ohthatpatrick]

Hi, there.

When we get these Describe the Response questions, it's helpful to make sure we understand the first person's argument.

Conc: Democ. is the best form of govt.
why?
Prem: Best form of govt. is one makes citizens believe they have say in how the govt. is run.

What's the assumption? (It doesn't necessarily matter for this question, but it's good practice) Elena assumes that 'democracy makes citizens believe they have a say in how the govt. is run'.

We see that Marsha starts with a "But", indicating some level of disagreement. We should ask ourselves whether Marsha disagrees with the premise, the conclusion, the assumption, or maybe is just making a different point that doesn't necessarily contradict any of those aforementioned ingredients.

Marsha seems to be pointing out a distinction between "fostering the belief that citizens have a say" and "actually allowing citizens to have a say".

She's sort of saying, "what if you had a totalitarian govt. that was good enough at propaganda that its citizens were convinced that they had a say? Wouldn't that still qualify as the best form of government by the standard given in your premise?"

So, to my mind, Marsha isn't necessarily contradicting anything Elena has said, but she seems to be warning Elena against some potentially troubling implications of her premise.

(A) says that Marsha agrees with Elena's conclusion, but nothing Marsha says addresses democracy. Also, since Marsha begins with the word "But", I would be highly dubious of an answer that indicates general agreement.

(B) says that Martha was implicitly arguing against Elena's conclusion. Do we know that Martha thinks "democracy is not the best form of government" from her statement? I don't think so.

(C) says that Martha is concerned about Elena's premise. Martha's statement definitely relates more to Elena's premise than it does to Elena's conclusion. Could Elena's premise be used to support a conflicting conclusion? Yes. Like we said before, Elena's premise would call "a harsh dictatorship where citizens BELIEVE they have a say" the "best form of government". This answer seems accurate.

(D) says Martha was trying to prove that "most people want the semblance of democracy, not the real thing". Can we infer that's where Martha was going from her statement? I don't think so. Martha's statement doesn't tell me anything about what most people want.

(E) is the flipside of (A). But Martha's comment doesn't even address democracy. Again, Martha's comment really only addresses what Elena's premise was talking about.

(C) is the most accurate, supportable answer.

Hope this helps. Let me know if you want further clarification on anything.