Logical reasoning PrepTest 105 · Section 2 · Question 7

Question prompt

The crux of creativity Remaining source text redacted.
Why the credited answer is right

Credited answer: E

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

Argument or Facts

Facts

Valid or Flawed

NA

Question Type

Bizarro / Must Be True Questions

Stimulus Summary

Creativity = variations on a theme Idea → Built on a thousand related ideas New idea → Variation on previous theme

Answer Anticipation

First, the question stem. It tells us that four of the answers must be true, and we’re looking for the one that isn’t. So we’re looking for something that doesn’t have to be true - which isn’t the same as looking for something that Cannot be True. As such, this is a Bizarro Must be True question, not a Cannot be True question. With that noted, we can tell that four of the answers will be absolutely backed up by the stimulus, and that generally involves conditional logic. We get that in this stimulus, with a lot of very strong, conditional language (“If,” “every,” “always,” “without exception”). However, all of the statements are really just variations on the same idea - new ideas are just variations on old ones, and creativity is making up these variations. With that unified idea in mind, let’s head to the answers to see if we can find something that doesn’t play into this idea or, if it does, does so in a way that doesn’t have to be true.

Answer choices

  1. A
    A lack of ability Remaining source text redacted.
    Why choice A is not credited
    The “crux” of creativity is manufacturing variations on a theme. If someone can’t do the crux of an activity, they can’t do that activity, so this answer is supported.
  2. B
    No scientific idea is Remaining source text redacted.
    Why choice B is not credited
    The stimulus notes that all ideas - which includes scientific ideas - are just variations on previous themes, so this answer is supported.
  3. C
    Careful analysis of a Remaining source text redacted.
    Why choice C is not credited
    The stimulus notes that careful analysis “leads us” to know that ideas are just variations, so it must be the case that that study allows us to know what previous ideas they’re a variation of, supporting this answer.
  4. D
    All great scientific discoverers Remaining source text redacted.
    Why choice D is not credited
    If someone makes a scientific discovery, then they’ve come up with a new idea. And since all new ideas are variations on a theme, anyone who has made a discovery has been able to manufacture a variation on a theme.
  5. E
    Some new scientific discoveries Remaining source text redacted.
    Why choice E matches the stem
    The entire stimulus is about how all new ideas are variations on old themes, so it’s not possible that some scientific discoveries aren’t variations on a theme. This answer directly contradicts the stimulus, so it cannot be true - making it correct in this Bizarro Must be True question (although the correct answer didn’t need to be something that cannot be true).

What this tests

Question analytics

Based on historical answer selection rates for this question.

Answer choice distribution

  1. A 7%
  2. B 4%
  3. C 2%
  4. D 10%
  5. E Credited 78%

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Discussion

  • Why not B? 1 reply

    Started by zacdon81

  • E 1 reply

    Started by tomgbean

  • Why is E Correct? 1 reply

    Started by zgnewquist

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