Logical reasoning PrepTest 109 · Section 1 · Question 9

Correct. Argument or Facts:
Argument

Valid or Flawed:
Valid

Question Type:
Must Be True

Stimulus Summary:
Generalization — Tasks can trigger different amounts of environmental awareness in different people
Example — Math puzzles. Visual people can have decreased environmental awareness when solving them. Others who have a rest at each stage can have increased environmental awareness when solving them.

Answer Anticipation:
The stimulus here brings up a generalization before diving into a specific example of that generalization. As such, the correct answer could be another situation governed by the generalization, or an inference drawn from the example.

For the former, any answer that brings up a task that generates different levels of environmental awareness in individuals should be considered.

For the latter, the example specifically compares two groups, showing that a specific task results in one group having increased environmental awareness, while the other has decreased environmental awareness. Answers reflecting this comparison, or either half of it, could also serve as correct answers.

There's nothing really specific here to anticipate—just answers that align with either of these pieces.

Answer Explanation:
This answer deals with the example. In the stimulus, it's established that some people—those who use their "mind's eye" to work through a puzzle—have a decreased level of environmental awareness while solving math puzzles. A decrease in environmental awareness certainly qualifies as not an increase so this answer is supported by the presence of that group. This answer is therefore correct.

Key Takeaway:
Watch out for relative vs. absolute language jumps in Must Be True questions. We tend to think that relative language also establishes absolute determinations—e.g. someone who is "taller" is "tall"—but that's not the case. This jump is very common in incorrect answers for Must Be True questions with relative language in the stimulus.

Incorrect. First, the stimulus notes that the visual solvers have a decreased environmental awareness. Second, this answer discusses whether or not they have awareness of their surroundings, not the relative level of that awareness. This answer is somewhere between out of scope (relative vs. absolute) and contradicted by the stimulus.

Incorrect. The stimulus doesn't discuss nonmathematical problems, so this comparison is unwarranted.

Incorrect. This answer conflates the two groups (visual learners being the group that has decreased awareness; those who take a rest between steps as having potentially increased awareness), but the stimulus establishes them as distinct. It's also very strong ("only during") without equivalently strong language in the stimulus. And it's also absolute (become aware) instead of relative ("decrease" and "rise" in awareness).

Incorrect. The stimulus notes that one group—the visual solvers—can approach mathematical problems without increased awareness of their surroundings, so this answer stating that "frequent" breaks are "required" to solve problems is at odds with the stimulus.