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The passage given below is followed by four alternate summaries. Choose the option that best captures the essence of the passage.

Should the moral obligation to rescue and aid persons in grave peril, felt by a few, be enforced by the criminal law? Should we follow the lead of a number of European countries and enact bad Samaritan laws? Proponents of bad Samaritan laws must overcome at least three different sorts of obstacles. First, they must show the laws are morally legitimate in principle, that is, that the duty to aid others is a proper candidate for legal enforcement. Second, they must show that this duty to aid can be defined in a way that can be fairly enforced by the courts. Third, they must show that the benefits of the laws are worth their problems, risks and costs.

Solution

✅ Correct Option: 3

The passage talks about bad Samaritan laws and what their supporters need to prove before these laws can work.

Step 1: Find the main idea -> Passage asks if we should have laws forcing people to help others in danger -> Then lists 3 things supporters must prove first.

Step 2: Key insight -> This is about testing/proving these laws work, not about actually making them yet.

From passage: "Proponents of bad Samaritan laws must overcome at least three different sorts of obstacles."

Thought process: Passage structure -> Question about laws -> Mentions Europe has them -> BUT then says supporters must prove 3 things first -> So we're still in the "testing" phase, not the "let's do it" phase.


Option Analysis (Most students get confused between Options 1 and 3):

🔴 Option 1 -> overstates -> Says laws "must be enacted" if found sound, but passage only discusses what needs to be proven first, doesn't guarantee enactment.

🔴 Option 2 -> scope-error -> Focuses on European models, but passage barely mentions Europe and doesn't suggest copying them.

🟢 Option 3 -> correct -> Captures both parts: laws "may be desirable" (the initial question) + "need to be tested" (the three obstacles to overcome).

🔴 Option 4 -> overstates -> Claims "everyone agrees" when passage shows this is still being debated, and oversimplifies the complex legal challenges mentioned.

Key elimination tip: When passage lists obstacles or requirements that must be met, the answer usually reflects that "testing/proving" stage, not the final outcome.

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