Question

Central State College has a very progressive program for preventing sexual assault on its campus. Every incoming student has to take a 1-hour course on sexual and dating violence, and there are monthly programs about prevention and intervention. The college recently opened a 24-hour hotline for victims and survivors of sexual assault. To their dismay, in the first year of the hotline operating, reports of sexual assaults on campus went up by 10%. Administrators are confused as to why their efforts to prevent violence seem to have led to more violence on campus. Which of the following might explain the rise in reports of sexual assault at Central State?

• A. Telling students about sexual violence makes them see it as an option, so more male students are committing assaults.
• B. Having a hotline leads more students to report assaults that in the past may have gone unreported. The actual rate of assaults is likely unchanged.
• C. As a result of education, students are more likely to classify troubling interactions as sexual assault than they might otherwise have been.
• D. The facilitators of the prevention program are not effectively conveying the information to students.
• E. The programs are too infrequent to be effective.

Hint:

When analyzing increases in reports, consider whether the increase is due to better reporting mechanisms or an actual rise in incidents.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is B

Step 1: Understanding the argument.
The argument states that reports of sexual assault increased after the implementation of a hotline and educational programs. The increase in reports does not necessarily indicate an increase in actual assaults.

Step 2: Analysis of options.
- (A) Telling students about sexual violence makes them see it as an option, so more male students are committing assaults: Incorrect. This suggests an unintended consequence but does not directly address the rise in reports.
- (B) Having a hotline leads more students to report assaults that in the past may have gone unreported. The actual rate of assaults is likely unchanged: Correct. This explains that the increase in reports might be due to students feeling more comfortable reporting assaults, not that more assaults are occurring.
- (C) As a result of education, students are more likely to classify troubling interactions as sexual assault than they might otherwise have been: Incorrect. While this could explain the increase in reports, it does not directly address the issue of reporting rather than actual incidents.
- (D) The facilitators of the prevention program are not effectively conveying the information to students: Incorrect. This suggests that the programs are ineffective but does not directly explain the rise in reports.
- (E) The programs are too infrequent to be effective: Incorrect. This is not supported by the evidence given in the passage.

Step 3: Conclusion.
The correct answer is (B) Having a hotline leads more students to report assaults that in the past may have gone unreported.

Final Answer: \[ \boxed{(B) \, \text{Having a hotline leads more students to report assaults that in the past may have gone unreported. The actual rate of assaults is likely unchanged.}} \]