Logical reasoning PrepTest 115 · Section 2 · Question 13

Incorrect. Jenkins says that researching in Jan/Feb "ensures" the snow isn't melting, suggesting she believes there's a chance it'll melt at a later time. Lurano says that it'll "likely" still be cold enough in Apr/May, suggesting he believes there's a chance it will melt. This is, if anything, a point of agreement.

Incorrect. Lurano agrees with this, but Jenkins doesn't necessarily disagree. She believes that researching in Jan/Feb "ensures" that it'll be cold enough to do the research, and doing it later "risk[s]" wasting money, suggesting that she believes it could still be possible—just not certain—that this research could be done later.

Incorrect. Neither speaker disagrees with this. Jenkins is closest, but she argues that the risk is that the research won't be able to be carried out later than February—if the research is carried out later than that, then the team got lucky and didn't waste money.

Incorrect. This answer is, if anything, a point of agreement. Lurano believes Jan/Feb temperatures risk dangerous cold exposure to the researchers, something that isn't true of Apr/May, implying it's colder in Jan/Feb. Jenkins suggests that it's certain to be cold enough in Jan/Feb but not in Apr/May, suggesting the average temperature is higher in the later months.

Correct. Argument or Facts:
Argument/Argument

Valid or Flawed:
Flawed/Flawed

Question Type:
Point at Issue

Stimulus Summary:
J: Recommendation - Carry out research on snow at the North Pole in Jan/Feb
Why? - The weather is cold enough to guarantee snow, meaning research money won't be wasted

L: Recommendation - Wait until Apr/May
Why? - It'll probably still be cold enough, and it's safer then

Answer Anticipation:
Both Lurano and Jenkins make recommendations about when research on the properties of snow should be carried out at the North Pole, and they fit different timelines, so one point at issue right out of the gate is when that research should be done.

However, we should also identify the differences in why they believe this to be true.

Jenkins' argument in favor of Jan/Feb is that it's guaranteed to be cold enough to carry out the research, and thus research money won't be wasted. Lurano doesn't disagree that it'll be cold then, just that it will "likely" be cold still in April/May, and it's safer to carry out the research then.

In other words, Jenkins prioritizes not wasting research money, whereas Lurano believes it's alright to risk it not being cold enough ("likely") to carry out the research if it improves the safety of the researchers. This different prioritization could also lead to a correct answer.

Answer Explanation:
This answer brings up the discrepancy in their prioritization. Jenkins recommends that the research be done at a certain time in order not to waste funds. Lurano recommends that the research be done at a certain time not to risk cold exposure. This answer, thus, is something with which Jenkins agrees and Lurano disagrees, so it's the correct answer.

Key Takeaway:
When two speakers have opposed conclusions in Point at Issue questions, be sure to also consider the reasoning behind those conclusions. While the correct answer could simply restate one of the conclusions, it could also bring up the rationale behind it.