Question 1
Answer: C
We can start by removing the “complete removal of taxes” argument (option A and D) because of a few things the author says such as “I would not have a problem if the state just skimmed the residue off the top” and that the police “wouldn’t struggle to function if we all stopped paying the majority of our taxes”. It is true that the author illustrates examples on the extreme view, however he is explicitly clear that it is the current high tax system that he dislikes.
Option B does not represent the author’s view. Though it is true that he talks about the similarities between a tax and a much lower tax system it does not make sense to say that ‘it would not make any difference’ – this would undermine his argument that we need greater choice.
Option E is correct, but so is C. This balancing exercise shows us that C is the answer because it provides a more comprehensive description of the author’s view. Yes, the author argues for lower tax, but his main argument is that we need greater choice (lower taxes being the product of this).
Question 2
Answer: E
A is stated (“they wouldn’t struggle to function”), as is B (“Our obsession with ‘outsourcing’ the raising of our children is, frankly, unnatural”) and D (“forced to all the time because some suited and booted men and women in London...”).
Admittedly, C is slightly trickier but not too difficult anyway. The first paragraph says “Not for me! We never agreed to this, surely?” which is effectively a statement of C. That leaves us with E which is the correct answer. This is implied on a number of occasions but is never stated. “I would still want my community protected, my workers, my friends and my family” and most of the content to follow is clearly anecdotally claiming that because the author would pay for these things, all wealthy people would do the same. The implication being that wealthy people across the board would act in good faith as C claims.
Question 3
Answer: C
Not a particularly difficult one here. A has qualitative language throughout (“unwelcome” or maybe even “cream off the top”), as does D (“fancy”), so cannot be fact. B is clearly an opinion as there is no indication that this is even a realistic forecast (i.e. no data or studies cited). E is obviously an opinion. That leaves us with C, however you could have worked that out without a process of elimination. Firstly, “we have mass privatisation of education”, this is a fact based on the text. Then the author says, “which could be provided” (no problems with this) “for a comparatively low cost” (comparing expensive small cohorts to cheaper large ones). Similar to B, but strictly factual and avoiding the qualitative factors that B had.
Question 4
Answer: E
By first looking at exactly what the author described as ‘unnatural’ without having read the options, we can make our lives a lot easier. “Our obsession with ‘outsourcing’ the raising of our children is, frankly, unnatural” more or less provides the answer. We are not talking about mass scale education (A) because the author clearly wants to continue mass education. B and D are irrelevant because they do not directly reference the ‘outsourcing’ per se. That leaves us with C and E. They are essentially opposites sides of the same coin. Deciding to go for E requires a close analysis of the sentence quoted above. Is it phrased so as to reference ‘useless parents’ or ‘external education facilities’? The answer is clearly the latter given the word ‘outsourcing’. E is the correct answer!