Logical reasoning PrepTest 112 · Section 3 · Question 14

Question prompt

We learn to use 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 with Necessary Premise Questions

Stimulus Summary

Goal - Prepare students for tomorrow’s job market
Background - Most machines are designed for non-expert use, so we learn to use them with an instruction manual.
Approaches - Training for technical expertise vs. Traditional education in verbal/quant skills
Conclusion - Neither approach is better than the other

Answer Anticipation

This argument falls into a common pattern that we see on the exam - a goal is presented, and approaches are brought up. Unlike the normal goal/approach argument, however, the author here concludes that neither of the approaches is better than the other!
The goal here is to prepare students for tomorrow’s job market. The two approaches that are brought up are technical training and traditional (verbal/math) training.
Outside of this, the only information the argument presents is that most machines are designed for non-expert use. How does this play into the approaches? Well, if those machines are designed to be used by non-experts, then one doesn’t need an education that provides technological expertise. This would suggest that such an education wouldn’t better prepare someone for one of these jobs.
However, there’s an element in this argument that frequently leads to flawed reasoning - it talks about “tomorrow’s job market.” In other words, it’s predicting the future. While most of the machines we use today can be used by nonexperts, there’s no indication that this will continue to be true in the future. By shifting the time period, this argument is flawed.
As such, we should look for an answer bringing up the argument’s assumption that the machines in the future will similarly be designed for use by nonexperts.

Answer choices

  1. A
    Fewer people receive a Remaining source text redacted.
    Why choice A is not credited
    The argument doesn’t depend on assuming any relative level of such training for the population - especially since this argument compares the present to the past, whereas the argument jumps from the present to the future.
  2. B
    Facility in operating machines Remaining source text redacted.
    Why choice B is not credited
    Even if expert knowledge of a machines’ inner workings does often result in being able to use it better, the jobs requiring the use of those machines might not require such a level of expertise. A computer expert, for example, can absolutely use a computer better than the average office worker, but that doesn’t mean that the office worker doesn’t have sufficient knowledge to get their job done!
  3. C
    Most jobs in tomorrow's Remaining source text redacted.
    Why choice C matches the stem
    This answer establishes that the jobs of the future will rely on machines that don’t rely on expert knowledge, similar to the present. By establishing a similarity between the present and the future, this answer addresses the assumption of the argument. If most jobs of the future will require the ability to use technology that can be used only by experts, then technical training would benefit students, and the argument falls apart.
  4. D
    Students cannot attain technological Remaining source text redacted.
    Why choice D is not credited
    It doesn’t need to be an either/or for technical training to no better prepare students for the jobs of the future than traditional education. Even if they can attain both, they can still be equally useful for getting a job in the future.
  5. E
    When learning to use Remaining source text redacted.
    Why choice E is not credited
    If such expertise is useful only in applications that aren’t required for the jobs of the future, then this answer can be false and the argument can still hold. This answer is thus not necessary.

What this tests

Question analytics

Based on historical answer selection rates for this question.

Answer choice distribution

  1. A 3%
  2. B 16%
  3. C Credited 64%
  4. D 6%
  5. E 11%

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