The Quality of a Discussion Often Depends on How Closely

question 38

Essay

The quality of a discussion often depends on how closely the parties attend to the same issue. For the passage below, determine whether the speakers are clearly disputing the same issue, or whether somebody is missing the point.
A: I can't believe the student government paid John Kerry over a thousand dollars to come here and give a speech. He's been out of the news for ages, and he's clearly biased. They should have saved our money.
B: Listen, George Bush Sr. has been out of office for a while now too, and he's clearly as biased as anybody. Nevertheless, people pay tons of money for him to come and speak. So lay off about Kerry.

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Definitions:

Imports

Goods and services that are brought into one country from another for sale.

Net Exports

The difference between a country's total exports of goods and services and its total imports, reflecting the trade balance.

U.S. Consumption

This term refers to the total value of all goods and services consumed within the United States over a specific time period.

Government Purchases

Expenditures by the government on goods and services that directly consume resources or are used in the production of public services.