From time to time, the press indulges in outbursts of indignation over
the use of false or misleading information by the U.S.
government in support of its policies and programs. No one endorses needless
deception. But consider this historical analogy. It is known that Christopher
Columbus, on his first voyage to the New World, deliberately falsified the log
to show a shorter sailing distance for each day out than the ships had actually
traveled. In this way, Columbus was able to convince his skeptical sailors that
they had not sailed past the point at which they expected to find the shores of
India. Without this deception, Columbus's sailors might well have mutinied, and
the New World might never have been discovered.
10. The
author of the passage above assumes each of the following EXCEPT:
(A)
Government deception of the press is often motivated by worthy objectives
(B) Without
government deception, popular support for worthwhile government policies and
programs might well fade.
(C) Attacks on
the government by the press are often politically motivated.
(D) Deception
for deception's sake should not be condoned.
(E) A greater
good may sometimes require acceptance of a lesser evil.
Which of the following is the main
weakness of the historical analogy drawn in the passage above?
(A) The sailors
in Columbus's crew never knew that they had been deceived, while government
deception is generally uncovered by the press.
(B) A ship's
log is a record intended mainly for use by the captain, while press reports are
generally disseminated for use by the public at large.
(C) The members
of a ship's crew are selected by the captain of the ship, while those who work
in the press are self-selected.
(D) The crew of
a ship is responsible for the success of a voyage, while the press is not
responsible for the use others make of the factual information it publishes.
(E) In a
democracy, the people are expected to participate in the nation's political
decision making, while the members of a ship's crew are expected simply to obey
the orders of the captain.