Logical reasoning PrepTest 103 · Section 1 · Question 14

Question prompt

The Biocarb Company wants Remaining source text redacted.
Why the credited answer is right

Credited answer: B

The notes below walk through why it fits the stem and how to eliminate the rest.

Argument or Facts

Argument

Valid or Flawed

Flawed

Question Type

Strengthen with Necessary Premise Questions

Stimulus Summary

Proposal - Build a sterilization plant to sterilize medical waste in a city Arguments against - This would pollute the area President’s rebuttal - The waste is sterile after going through the plant, so it can’t pollute

Answer Anticipation

As with all flaw-based questions, we should be reading through the stimulus with an eye towards identifying elements that are associated with specific flaws. Here, we get two. First, the President’s defense of the process against claims of pollution involves discussing a process (“after exposure”). Whenever there’s a process, there’s a timeline, and the timeline here involves transporting the waste, sterilizing it, and then disposing of it. The stimulus discusses what happens “after” sterilization twice, but that doesn’t address any threat of pollution before sterilization. If there is a risk, then the argument is flawed. So the President’s argument relies on assuming that this isn’t the case. Second, the President’s conclusion is broader than the premises! Her conclusion is about overall pollution, but the premises discuss only the medical waste as a source of pollution. While it does seem as if the sterilization process involves superheated steam, which shouldn’t pollute, maybe generating that steam, or something else in the process, would cause pollution in the area. The President’s argument requires assuming that only the medical waste itself could serve as a source of pollution, so we can look for an answer establishing that.

Answer choices

  1. A
    Environmental activists believe that Remaining source text redacted.
    Why choice A is not credited
    The President doesn’t need some other group to agree with her for her to be correct. She could be right despite the Environmental Activists disagreeing with her!
  2. B
    Handling of the waste Remaining source text redacted.
    Why choice B matches the stem
    This answer addresses the first gap in the argument we identified. The President shows that the medical waste isn’t a pollutant after it’s sterilized, but she doesn’t talk about before it’s sterilized. If it poses a risk before that point, then the plant does pose a risk of pollution to the area. This answer is therefore a necessary premise.
  3. C
    Fear of pollution is Remaining source text redacted.
    Why choice C is not credited
    The President’s conclusion is about the threat of pollution, so other potential arguments against the facility are out of scope. If she had concluded that the plant doesn’t pollute, and thus it should be built/there’s no reason to protest its creation, then this answer would be relevant.
  4. D
    No others besides environmental Remaining source text redacted.
    Why choice D is not credited
    The President’s argument is about whether the plant could be a source of pollution. Who is or isn’t afraid of that doesn’t speak to the truth of it.
  5. E
    Treatment by superheated steam Remaining source text redacted.
    Why choice E is not credited
    What matters is that superheated steam works, not that it works better than everything else. Even if other methods work just as well, superheated steam could still get the job done.

What this tests

Question analytics

Based on historical answer selection rates for this question.

Answer choice distribution

  1. A 7%
  2. B Credited 84%
  3. C 2%
  4. D 1%
  5. E 5%

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