Logical reasoning PrepTest 107 · Section 4 · Question 16

Question prompt

Franklin: It is inconsistent 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/Argument

Valid or Flawed

Flawed/Flawed

Question Type

Point at Issue Questions

Stimulus Summary

F: Sports stars and Nobel winners work hard and are rare, so it makes no sense to pay them differently.
T: Sports stars make a lot of money for their employers.

Answer Anticipation

Note the intro to Tomeka’s argument here - “What you’ve neglected to consider.” Where have we heard a phrase like that before? If you’re thinking in Errors in Reasoning questions, then you’re spot on - that’s very similar to an answer that starts, “The argument has overlooked the possibility that…”
Noting this similarity can help us contextualize Tomeka’s response here. She’s pointing out a fact that undermines part of Franklin’s argument. If we can figure out what part she’s going after, we can understand the point at issue between them.
What point does Tomeka raise? That sports stars make a lot of money for their employers. Does that address the similarities noted by Franklin between them and Nobel laureates? Nope - it doesn’t undermine that they both have rare talents and they both work hard. So it must be undermining his conclusion - that it’s inconsistent to pay them differently.
And what Tomeka says does undermine that - it brings up a relevant difference that provides a reason to pay them differently. So Tomeka and Franklin disagree over whether there’s a good reason to pay athletes and Nobel winners differently - let’s find an answer stating that.

Answer choices

  1. A
    Nobel laureates should be Remaining source text redacted.
    Why choice A is not credited
    The debate isn’t over how seriously the two groups are taken, but rather how much they’re paid.
  2. B
    Nobel laureates should be Remaining source text redacted.
    Why choice B is not credited
    Tomeka thinks there’s a reason for Nobel laureates to receive less money than sports stars, so she arguably disagrees with this answer. But it’s consistent with Franklin’s argument that sports stars and Nobel winners be paid the same since they both work hard and have rare talents (or even for sports stars to be paid more, just not 10x the amount), so he might disagree with this answer, as well.
  3. C
    Sports celebrities and Nobel Remaining source text redacted.
    Why choice C is not credited
    Franklin says that both groups work hard, but he doesn’t say they work equally hard. And Tomeka doesn’t talk about how hard either group works.
  4. D
    There is no rational Remaining source text redacted.
    Why choice D matches the stem
    Franklin concludes that it’s “inconsistent” to have the salary differential between these groups, so he agrees with this answer. Tomeka puts forward a rational basis for paying sports stars more (they earn more for their employers), so she disagrees with this answer. This is the point at issue between them.
  5. E
    The social contributions made Remaining source text redacted.
    Why choice E is not credited
    Neither speaker discusses the social contributions of the sports celebrities, so this answer is out of scope.

What this tests

Question analytics

Based on historical answer selection rates for this question.

Answer choice distribution

  1. A 7%
  2. B 8%
  3. C 6%
  4. D Credited 78%
  5. E 0%

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