Logical reasoning PrepTest 113 · Section 2 · Question 8

Correct. Argument or Facts:
Facts

Question Type:
Bizarro Paradox

Stimulus Summary:
Firms - We want conscientious employees!
Comparison - Conscientious employees are less likely to be employed 5 months after being laid off than non-conscientious ones

Answer Anticipation:
As with all Paradox questions, we should start by clearly defining the paradox. Here, we have employees with a trait that employers say they despite, and yet those individuals are less likely to find a new job within 5 months of being laid off as those who don't have the trait.

This stimulus compares two groups—conscientious employees, and non-conscientious employees. Both groups are said to have been laid off, but the latter group is more likely to have a new job within 5 months. Since we're trying to explain this difference, we should look for relevant differences that can play a role in it. Maybe the conscientious group has higher standards for a new job, or took some time off after their last job, whereas the other group didn't. Or maybe the non-conscientious workers are more likely to lie on their resume and during interviews to appear attractive to employers.

These are just some possibilities—there are likely more! So let's stay flexible and look for any relevant difference that could explain the job outcomes. Remember, this is a Bizarro question, so we eliminate the answers that provide such a resolution to the paradox.

Answer Explanation:
This answer is trying to get you to think it resolves the paradox by saying there are so many non-conscientious people out there looking for a job, that just by sheer numbers more of them get hired. But the stimulus isn't about the number of conscientious and non-conscientious people who get hired, but rather about the likelihood that someone in the groups gets hired. This answer jumps from a paradox about percentages to an answer about numbers—so it's flawed. It therefore doesn't address the paradox and is the correct answer.

Key Takeaway:
Paradoxes that involve differences are generally resolved with another relevant difference that provides context to understand the unexpected one.

Incorrect. If the conscientious group has a "greater than average" concern with finding the right job, then it would make sense that it takes them longer than average to find a job, waiting for the perfect one to come along instead of jumping at the first offer. This explains why they're more likely to still be looking after 5 months.

Incorrect. If the conscientious people perform poorly in interviews, then they'd be less likely to be hired and thus more likely to still be looking for a job 5 months out.

Incorrect. If the non-conscientious people are more likely to lie on their resumes and thus impress employers, then it makes sense that they'd be more likely to get new jobs.

Incorrect. If the conscientious have less of an urgency to find a new job, then they'd be less likely to rush to find one, thus explaining why they're less likely to have one within 5 months of losing their last one.