8  A person who agrees to serve as mediator between  two factions at

the request of both abandons, by so agreeing, the right later to take

sides.  To take sides at a later point would be to suggest that the

earlier presumptive impartiality was a sham.

The passage emphasizes which of the following points about

mediators?

      They should try to form no opinions of their own about any issue

       that is related to the dispute. 

      They should not agree to serve unless they are committed to

       maintaining a stance of impartiality. 

      They should not agree to serve unless they are equally accept        -

       able to all parties to a dispute. 

      They should feel free to take sides in the dispute right from the

       start, provided that they make their biases publicly known. 

      They should reserve the right to abandon their impartiality so as

       not to be open to the charge of having been deceitful.