Logical reasoning PrepTest 106 · Section 3 · Question 3

Question prompt

Birds startled by potential 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

Paradox Questions

Stimulus Summary

Birds in the wild fly from predators into bushes.
Birds in suburbia fly from predators into windows and die.

Answer Anticipation

As with all Paradox questions, we should start by clearly defining the paradox. And as with many Paradox questions, this one deals with a comparison.
In the wild, birds startled by what could be a predator fly away. The same is true for birds in suburbia eating at a bird feeder - a similarity. However, what’s different is what happens at this point. The birds in the wild head to shrubbery, whereas the suburban birds often fly into windows and die. Downer.
In order to explain this difference, we should look for anything that explains why the suburban birds would fly into the windows instead of nearby vegetation. Maybe the windows are reflecting the plants, and thus the birds think they’re headed to vegetation? Or maybe suburbanites generally put plants inside their houses by windows?

Answer choices

  1. A
    Predator attacks are as Remaining source text redacted.
    Why choice A is not credited
    The frequency of attacks doesn’t explain why some birds are flying into windows instead of shrubs. Even if there are no shrubs around, why is the first alternative that the birds go for the windows?
  2. B
    The bird feeders in Remaining source text redacted.
    Why choice B is not credited
    This answer makes the paradox even weirder - why are they flying so far to hit a window?
  3. C
    Large birds are as Remaining source text redacted.
    Why choice C is not credited
    The size of the bird isn’t established as being relevant in any way.
  4. D
    Most of the birds Remaining source text redacted.
    Why choice D is not credited
    Why they’re startled isn’t relevant - what they do after they are startled is.
  5. E
    The windowpanes of many Remaining source text redacted.
    Why choice E matches the stem
    If the windowpanes are reflecting vegetation, then the birds could think they’re flying into shrubbery while actually flying into the window. It makes their behavior line up with the other birds, thus explaining it. This answer is therefore correct.

What this tests

Question analytics

Based on historical answer selection rates for this question.

Answer choice distribution

  1. A 7%
  2. B 1%
  3. C 1%
  4. D 7%
  5. E Credited 83%

Deeper help

Ask follow-ups on any step

Optional AI tutor mode will let you interrogate assumptions, compare answers, and drill weak patterns without leaving the page.

Human-written explanations stay primary; AI is an add-on when you want it.

Discussion

No threads yet—be the first to ask a question or share an approach.

View all discussions Start a discussion