Analyzing Arguments Verbal Analysis of Text & Understanding the Essence

Forest fires feed on decades-long accumulations of debris and leap from the tops of young trees into the branches of mature trees. Fires that jump from treetop to treetop can be devastating. In old-growth forests, however, the shade of mature trees keeps thickets of small trees from sprouting, and the lower branches of mature trees are too high to catch the flames.

 

This paragraph best supports the statement that

A. forest fire damage is reduced in old-growth forests.
B. small trees should be cut down to prevent forest fires.
C. mature trees should be thinned out to prevent forest fires
D. forest fires do the most damage in old-growth forests.
E. old-growth forests have a larger accumulation of forest debris.

During the last six years, the number of practicing physicians has increased by about 20%. During the same time period, the number of healthcare managers has increased by more than 600%. These percentages mean that many doctors have lost the authority to make their own schedules, determine the fees that they charge, and decide on prescribed treatments.

 

This paragraph best supports the statement that doctors

A. resent the interference of healthcare managers.
B. no longer have adequate training.
C. care a great deal about their patients.
D. are less independent than they used to be.
E. are making a lot less money than they used to make.

By the time they reach adulthood, most people can perform many different activities involving motor skills. Motor skills involve such diverse tasks as riding a bicycle, threading a needle, and cooking a dinner. What all these activities have in common is their dependence on precision and timing of muscular movement.

 

This paragraph best supports the statement that

A. most adults have not refined their motor skills.
B. all adults know how to ride a bicycle.
C. refined motor skills are specifically limited to adults.
D. children perform fewer fine motor activities in a day than adults do.
E. threading a needle is a precise motor skill.

Most Reality TV centers on two common motivators: fame and money. The shows transform waitresses, hairdressers, investment bankers, counselors, and teachers, to name a few, from obscure figures to house-hold names. A lucky few successfully parlay their fifteen minutes of fame into celebrity. The luckiest stars of Reality TV also reap huge financial rewards for acts including eating large insects, marrying someone they barely know, and revealing their innermost thoughts to millions of people.

 

This paragraph best supports the statement that

A. the stars of Reality TV are interested in being rich and famous.

B. Reality TV is the best thing that has happened to network television in a long time.

C. for Reality TV stars, fame will last only as long as their particular television show.

D. traditional dramas and sitcoms are being replaced by Reality TV programming at an alarming rate.

E. Reality TV shows represent a new wave of sensationalistic, low quality programming.

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