Which one of the following most accurately expresses the main point of the passage?
kassideeon March 13, 2020
sec 1 q 1
How is the main point something the author briefly brings up in the last paragraph? I don't see how the main point is ignoring everything else talked about in the passage...
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Good question! You are thinking about the right things when it comes to main point questions. It is important to notice the details that are left out. For the most part, you will be correct. I would also be skeptical of an answer choice that does not mention cognitive interviews or hypnosis. However, there are times when we have to make exceptions. In this case, there is no answer choice that includes all three interview techniques, so I know I'm going to have to lower my standards.
If I had to choose which one is most important, it would be eye closure. The first three paragraphs are spent discussing the drawbacks to the two other types, all leading up to the "ideal method." The fourth paragraph acts as a sort of conclusion.
B and D say nothing about the ideal method, so they were easy to eliminate. C is mentioned in the passage, but would not qualify as the main point. A was more tempting, because it is an important point. However, it ignores more specifics than E does.
Although E doesn't specifically mention cognitive interviewing and hypnosis, it does discuss practicality and reliability. The purpose of the first three paragraphs was to bring up these issues, so I would say that E does not ignore the rest of the passage. I don't think that E is a perfect main point either, but I was able to get there through the process of elimination.
sfriedfertigon September 21, 2020
I am a still a little lost on way A is not correct. I was between A and E. But, A brings up all the factors needed in an interview, which is discussed in the third paragraph. Is there any chance for more clarification on why E over A? Thank you!
Emil-Kunkinon October 28, 2023
The passage is mostly about this specific type of interview. While A correctly identifies the factors, that's a secondary point of the passage. For a passage that spends so much effort discussing this specific type of interview, we would expect to see it at least referenced in the main point.
