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This question is confusing me. It says to illustrate the principle illustratd by the finding of the researchers. The researchers found a principle related to education. I do not see how this principle can have the education part taken out of it, as they do here:

http://www.manhattanlsat.com/forums/q11 ... c25f83c01f

Have I missed what the definition of principle is or something? I don't find this answer satisfying and want to know whether principles can have their specifics removed as that answer states or not.

yes. you're confusing 'principle illustrated' questions with 'conclusion,' or 'main point' questions. the latter two are asking you to follow the argument to its conclusory sentence and find the answer choice that restates it. 'principle' questions are a little different -- they're asking you to find a general framework that explains the entire statement, then decide which of the answer choices best fits into that specific framework. four of them will have problems that rule them out, or (if it's an easier problem) will be total non-sequiturs.

for this problem, relay the statement to a set of general principles. critiques of performance are beneficial if accompanied by the information that the agent's performance is one of several factors in overall output.

apply that to the answer choices. A through D don't really fit. consider E. the force of the connection is through the fact that the criticism of one aspect of an agent's performance is part of a larger effort. logically, this makes sense. nobody wants criticism to be a pass/fail referendum on their success or failure of whatever it is that they're doing. A thru D don't really match at all. E matches more or less perfectly.

Thank you for your response. That explains it. Much appreciated!