Question

Affirmative claim: Standardized test scores should no longer be required for college admission because they are weaker indicators of future success than analyses of high school performance are.

Negative counterclaim: High school performance is a good indicator of a student’s future success, but it would be just as reckless to consider only this factor as it would be to consider only standardized test scores.

Which rebuttal would best refute the negative’s counterclaim?

Standardized test scores are poor indicators of future success.
Looking impartially at information about a student should not be considered reckless.
There are many other factors besides standardized test scores that indicate future success.
High school performance is always the best indicator of a student’s future success.

Answer 1

High school performance is always the best indicator of a student’s future success.

Explanation: The negative’s claim rests on the premise that using only one factor is equally reckless regardless of which factor is chosen. Showing that high school performance is in fact the superior (or best) predictor directly undermines that premise — if one measure is clearly more predictive than others, relying primarily on it is not equally reckless.