Q4

[bramon.elizabeth]

I chose (E) because the way in which Marshall chose the plaintiffs was necessarily subjective - he had to evaluate their emotional appeal, etc., which I can't picture anyone doing objectively. What am I missing?

Thanks!

[ohthatpatrick]

I think you're answering a different question, something more like "What can be inferred about the test case strategy?"

(E) it had subjective aspects to it

The crucial wording in the question stem is the author views the test case strategy as ...

That should transform your thinking into, "how did the author feel about the test case strategy?" or "what did the author think was important/noteworthy about the test case strategy?"

Either way, the proof sentence we'll use to support our answer needs to be one that conveys the author's attitude. The line reference you were alluding to that itemizes some of the factors considered in how Marshall chose his clients is purely factual.

So while it's true to say that Marshall made some subjective assessments in choosing his clients, there is no sentence in the passage that conveys the author's attitude about Marshall's subjectivity.

Instead, we're getting (C) as the credited response because this best reinforces the author's overall attitude in this passage toward Marshall's innovations.

Line 13-15 is the author's "Main Headline" for this passage. Lines 59-62 but the final stamp on that legacy while cementing our support for (C) with "the techniques that he honed - originally considered to be a radical departure from accepted conventions".

I will grant you that the above wording does not actually prove the strength of 'unprecedented' ... also, lines 27-30 do somewhat support (E) in terms of expressing author attitude that "choosing the right plaintiff" was crucial.

But again, if we surmise that this question is fishing for the big picture author attitude toward Marshall's test case strategy, we want to pick the answer that reinforces the most important author ideas in the passage.

Finally, 'arbitrary' and 'subjective' are a little too close for comfort to me, in meaning. When we label something 'arbitrary', we're implying that it was done according to someone's whim (subjective) rather than according to merit/rule/objective reasons.

Generally, if two answers are saying almost the same thing, they cancel each other out.

Hope this helps.

[callie44]

Can somebody explain why D is wrong? Neither C or D seemed quite right to me, although I did end up choosing the right answer - just wasn't confident about it.

[doug.feng]

Can somebody explain why D is wrong? Neither C or D seemed quite right to me, although I did end up choosing the right answer - just wasn't confident about it.

(D) seems wrong because of a degree of opinion. I don't see where it explicitly states that this was NECESSARY. I see that the strategy was helpful for Marshall and the NAACP, but just because it was sufficient for Marshall and the NAACP in reaching their goals doesn't necessarily mean it was necessary. I think (C) was a better match for the overall main idea of the passage.

[VickX462]

The question asks us to infer what the author's view on Marshall's test case strategy is. So it's important for us to keep in mind the general attitude of the author in the passage. The lines that suggest the author's attitude are 9-10 ("strategic and methodological legacy") and 14-15 ("innovation that forever changed the landscape of public interest law"). The author's attitude toward TM's strategies is positive.

With that in mind, let's take a look at the answer choices.
(A) "arbitrary" has a negative undertone; also the process is more methodological than arbitrary. Eliminate.
(B) Negative undertone, eliminate
(C) Unprecedented––seems to align with the author's attitude ("innovation that forever changed the landscape", line 14-15). Keep it.
(D) Necessary––it is true that the test case strategy leads to the success of TM and NAACP, but is that necessary? Remember that sufficient ≠ necessary. Eliminate.
(E) The process of selecting plaintiff might seem subjective. However, there is a negative undertone with the word "negative". If the author thinks the approach is subjective, he might also think that it is arbitrary.

C best represent the attitude of the author. Therefore the correct answer is C.