Prompt for Main Point

? The main point of the argument above is that
? Which one of the following most accurately expresses the editor’s conclusion?
? Which of the following best summarizes the conclusion of the argument?
? The author hopes to prove which of the following?
? The argument seems to lead up to which of the following?
? Which of the following is the author’s main point?

Action Plan

Before looking through the answers,

? Ask yourself, “What is the author trying to prove?” In other words, which statement in the passage is supported by the other statements? A main point is the main conclusion of the passage. It could be at the very end of the passage, but it might show up in the middle or even at the beginning.

? Look for opinion indicators (some teachers think that . . .). Opposing viewpoints usually come right before the author’s main conclusion, which usually starts with but, yet, or however. “Many people think that Tsinghua graduates are sensitive to political issues. But that is not the case because . . .” Here, the author first introduces an opinion of “many people”, then uses the word but to stop telling what others think and start telling what the author thinks. Pay attention to the contrast between two different schools of thoughts or opinions. The following are common structures for arguments:
- Opinion. However, conclusion. Premise.
-Opinion. Although concession, conclusion. Premise.

? Look for premise indicator (because, since, for, due to) to help you find premises and then the main conclusion. Although conclusion indicators (therefore, thus, hence, accordingly) can help you find conclusions, in main point questions, these indicators usually introduce intermediate conclusions to trap you. Otherwise, the question would be too easy to solve. Keep in mind, an intermediate conclusion act as both a premise for the main conclusion and a conclusion for another premise in the same argument.

? Refrain from classifying a sentence as a conclusion merely because it appears to be a declarative sentence. “You need to sleep more” and other declarations are not necessarily conclusions; they could be premises: “I would limit your TV time because you need to sleep more.” No statement is inherently a conclusion or a premise; it could be either or neither. What role it plays in the argument simply depends on what the author tries to prove and how he or she does that.
Then look for the answer choice which most accurately restates the main conclusion you found in the passage. Possible wrong answers include 1) restating a premise; 2) listing an intermediate conclusion; 3) giving you something, which with a NEW assumption, could be inferred from the passage (the cardinal sin for Must-be-true type questions).

The following are some questions for you to practice what you just learned:

1) As one who has always believed that truth is our nation’s surest weapon in the propaganda war against our foes, I am distressed by reports of “disinformation” campaigns by American intelligence agents in Western Europe. In a disinformation campaign, untruths are disseminated through gullible local journalists in order to damage the interests of our enemies and protect our own. Those who defend this practice say that lying is necessary to counter Soviet disinformation campaigns aimed at damaging America’s political interests. These apologists contend that one must fight fire with fire. I would point out to the apologists that the fire department finds water more effective.

The author’s main point is that

(A) Although disinformation campaigns may be effective, they are unacceptable on ethical grounds
(B) America’s moral standing in the world depends on its adherence to the truth
(C) The temporary political gains produced by disinformation campaigns generally give way to long-term losses
(D) Soviet disinformation campaigns have done little to damage America’s standing in Europe
(E) Disinformation campaigns do not effectively serve the political interests of the United States


2) Johnson is on firm ground when he asserts that the early editors of Dickinson’s poetry often distorted her intentions. Yet Johnson’s own, more faithful, text is still guilty of its own forms of distortion. To standardize Dickinson‘s often indecipherable handwritten punctuation by the use of the dash is to render permanent a casual mode of poetic phrasing that Dickinson surely never expected to see in print. It implies that Dickinson chose the dash as her typical mark of punctuation when, in fact, she apparently never made any definitive choice at all.

Which of the following best summarizes the author’s main point?

(A) Although Johnson is right in criticizing Dickinson’s early editors for their distortion of her work, his own text is guilty of equally serious distortions.
(B) Johnson’s use of the dash in his text of Dickinson’s poetry misleads readers about the poet’s intentions.
(C) Because Dickinson never expected her poetry to be published, virtually any attempt at editing it must run counter to her intentions.
(D) Although Johnson’s attempt to produce a more faithful text of Dickinson’s poetry is well meaning, his study of the material lacks sufficient thoroughness.
(E) Dickinson’s editors, including Johnson, have failed to deal adequately with the problem of deciphering Dickinson’s handwritten manuscripts.


3) Theater Critic: The play La Finestrina, now at Central Theater, was written in Italy in the eighteenth century. The director claims that this production is as similar to the original production as is possible in a modern theater. Although the actor who plays Harlequin the clown gives a performance very reminiscent of the twentieth-century American comedian Groucho Marx, Marx’s comic style was very much within the comic acting tradition that had begun in sixteenth-century Italy.

The considerations given best serve as part of an argument that

(A) Modern audiences would find it hard to tolerate certain characteristics of a historically accurate performance of an eighteenth-century play
(B) Groucho Marx once performed the part of the character Harlequin in La Finestrina
(C) In the United States the training of actors in the twentieth century is based on principles that do not differ radically from those that underlay the training of actors in eighteenth-century Italy
(D) The performance of the actor who plays Harlequin in La Finestrina does not serve as evidence against the director’s claim 
(E) The director of La Finestrina must have advised the actor who plays Harlequin to model his performance on comic performances of Groucho Marx

4) Recently, environmentalists have argued that the government should stop adding fluoride to our water supply. I think this is wrong. I support adding fluoride to our water supply for the same reason I support adding iodine to common table salt. I admit that the addition of iodine to table salt has proven benefits and is far less controversial than the addition of fluoride to the water supply. Still, I wonder if the same environmentalists who argue against fluoride would argue against iodine.

Which of the following is the author’s main point?

(A) The addition of fluoride to our water supply should continue.
(B) Fluoride should be considered to be as safe and beneficial as iodine.
(C) The government should continue any efforts it feels are in the public’s best interests.
(D) Environmentalists are unable to recognize the benefits of iodine in table salt.
(E) Environmentalists should not be believed in matters of public health.