Logical reasoning PrepTest 105 · Section 2 · Question 9

Question prompt

Someone who gets sick Remaining source text redacted.
Why the credited answer is right

Credited answer: C

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 Questions

Stimulus Summary

Phenomenon/Explanation - When someone gets food poisoning, they dislike the strongest taste in the food that made them sick, regardless of if it was the cause Therefore - Kids are especially prone to hating some foods

Answer Anticipation

This argument is interesting in that it provides a phenomenon and explanation in one. The phenomenon? That people develop a strong aversion to a strong flavor in a food that gave them food poisoning, regardless of that flavor is what made them sick. The explanation? Well, that implies an explanation for why someone would have a strong aversion to a certain food. This is then applied to children - and it’s noted that they’re “especially likely” to develop a hatred for a given food. There’s no indication in the discussion of the phenomenexplanation (a word we just made up) as to why kids would be especially prone to this, so the correct answer should highlight it. Either it’ll give a reason to believe that they are especially prone to food poisoning, or it’ll directly state that they are.

Answer choices

  1. A
    Children are more likely Remaining source text redacted.
    Why choice A is not credited
    If anything, this makes them less likely to develop a strong aversion to food, as the phenomenon noted is about developing an aversion to the most distinctive flavor. If there are no distinctive flavors, there’s nothing to develop an aversion to!
  2. B
    Children are less likely Remaining source text redacted.
    Why choice B is not credited
    In disconnecting the elements in the phenomenon, this answer suggests that children would be less likely than adults to develop a strong aversion to certain foods, not more likely, as the argument states. This answer cuts against the logic in the stimulus.
  3. C
    Children tend to have Remaining source text redacted.
    Why choice C matches the stem
    If kids have more acute taste, then they’d find flavors more distinct than adults. And if they become sick more often, then they’d associate that with those distinct flavors. This would make them especially likely to develop aversion to those foods, making this the correct answer.
  4. D
    Children typically recover more Remaining source text redacted.
    Why choice D is not credited
    The recovery is out of scope - what matters is the eating of the distinct flavor and the association of that flavor with the illness. Recovery happens after that.
  5. E
    Children are more likely Remaining source text redacted.
    Why choice E is not credited
    First, there’s no indication that unfamiliar foods are more likely to lead to sickness! Even if they are, this answer would suggest that kids are less prone to such illnesses, and thus less likely to develop strong aversions to flavors/foods.

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 Credited 81%
  4. D 2%
  5. E 5%

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