The conclusion is: "Alicia should also have been charged with automobile theft." Why? Alicia and Peter both borrowed a neighbor's car without permission. Alicia was stopped because the car she was driving had defective taillights, whereas Peter came to the attention of the police because the car he was driving was hit by a speeding taxi. While the car that Peter took got damaged but the car that Alicia took did not, it was the taxi that caused the damage to Peter's car. Thus, this difference is not due to any difference in the blameworthiness of their behavior.
Answer choice (C) is the correct answer. In concluding that Alicia and Peter should both be charged with automobile theft, the author makes sure to note that she is aware of the fact that the car Peter took got damaged, whereas the car Alicia took did not. She mentions this in order to show that she is aware of this difference that could lead to a possible objection to her conclusion, but then quells any issue with this difference by pointing out that the damage was not caused by Peter, and so the damage was not his fault. Thus, answer choice (C), i.e. "It demonstrates awareness of a fact on which a possible objection might be based" is correct.
Answer choice (E) is incorrect because the statement that the car Peter took got damaged and the car Alicia took did not is not a position. It is a fact about what happened. The author does not direct her argument against the statement that the car Peter took got damaged as opposed to the car that Alicia took. This statement merely sheds light on a fact that could lead to a possible objection to the author's conclusion.
Hope this helps! Please let us know if you have any other questions.
vickevmackMarch 8, 2015
I'm confused with the terminology in the way that the answers are being presented. What does (c) really mean and how can you pull the objection out of the stimulus?
NazMarch 11, 2015
You can check out the explanation to this question by clicking on the other thread in the message board.
Hope that clears things up! Please let us know if you have any other questions.
