Logical reasoning PrepTest 105 · Section 2 · Question 25

Question prompt

Tom: Employers complain that Remaining source text redacted.
Why the credited answer is right

Credited answer: D

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

Argument or Facts

Argument/Facts

Valid or Flawed

Flawed/NA

Question Type

Methods of Reasoning Questions

Stimulus Summary

T: Problem - High school grads lack the skills needed for full-time employment (skills best acquired with experience) Solution - Make high school students work part-time jobs to get these skills M: There aren’t enough part-time jobs already, and this program won’t magically create them

Answer Anticipation

Whenever a Methods of Reasoning question features a second speaker, we should start with a couple considerations: Does the second speaker agree or disagree with the first speaker’s conclusion? If she disagrees, does she think it’s wrong or unsupported? Does the second speaker agree or disagree with the first speaker’s premises? Logic/assumptions? Does she bring up a new consideration? Here, Mary doesn’t reach an explicit conclusion, so we need to look to her premises here. Tom recommends a program requiring high school students to work part-time jobs. Mary brings up some problems with that - there aren’t enough jobs already, let alone for everyone who would need one if this proposal passes. So Mary brings up a problem with Tom’s proposal to imply that it’s not feasible. Let’s find an answer saying so.

Answer choices

  1. A
    It analyzes an undesirable Remaining source text redacted.
    Why choice A is not credited
    Mary points out that there won’t be enough jobs for everyone who is required to get one, but it doesn’t go into the consequences of that being the case, so this answer is incorrect. This answer would be correct if, say, Tom recommended not allowing people without a part-time job to graduate, and Mary pointed out that that would mean a lot of people wouldn't graduate.
  2. B
    It argues that Tom Remaining source text redacted.
    Why choice B is not credited
    Mary doesn’t argue that high school students graduating without necessary skills is unavoidable - just that Tom’s approach to solving it won’t work. There could be another solution that she believes would work.
  3. C
    It provides information that Remaining source text redacted.
    Why choice C is not credited
    Tom’s premises are that high school students are graduating without vocational skills, and that skills are best learned on the job. Mary’s statements about the availability of jobs doesn’t contradict either of those premises.
  4. D
    It presents a consideration Remaining source text redacted.
    Why choice D matches the stem
    Tom’s argument assumes that all high school students would be able to find part-time work. Mary shows that this likely isn’t the case. This answer, therefore, is correct.
  5. E
    It defends an alternative Remaining source text redacted.
    Why choice E is not credited
    Mary doesn’t propose another way to get high school students to graduate with the necessary vocational skills for full-time employment, so this answer is incorrect.

What this tests

Question analytics

Based on historical answer selection rates for this question.

Answer choice distribution

  1. A 15%
  2. B 3%
  3. C 10%
  4. D Credited 69%
  5. E 3%

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