Logical reasoning PrepTest 119 · Section 2 · Question 8

Question prompt

The laboratory experiment, the Remaining source text redacted.
Why the credited answer is right

Credited answer: E

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

Weaken Questions

Stimulus Summary

Goal - Teach kids science (and specifically how to work with lab equipment)
Approach 1 - Lab experiments (the most effective way)
Approach 2 - Simulating experiments on a computer
Trend - Away from 1 to 2, resulting in many graduating from high school without knowing how to use lab equipment
Conclusion - We should stop this trend

Answer Anticipation

This argument falls into a common pattern - a goal is suggested (teaching kids science/how to use lab equipment, which itself is a shift between two concepts), and a couple approaches are noted. Here, however, the author says that the problem is that we’re shifting away from one method - running lab experiments - to another - simulating them in computers.
Why is this an issue? Well, the lab experiments are the “most effective” method for teaching science - so computer simulations are necessarily less effective than running the experiments themselves.
However, just because computer simulations aren’t the most effective means of learning science, that doesn’t mean that they’re ineffective. They could work nearly as well and still allow for important science concepts to be taught.
So any answer that highlights this shift from relative to absolute language - from the “most” effective method to the only one that should be considered - will weaken the argument.

Answer choices

  1. A
    Scientific knowledge is changing Remaining source text redacted.
    Why choice A is not credited
    This doesn’t speak to using computers to simulate experiments instead of running those experiments for real, so this answer is out of scope.
  2. B
    In some secondary schools, Remaining source text redacted.
    Why choice B is not credited
    It’s unclear if the argument is relying on students actually running the experiments, or if witnessing the experiments being run live would be enough to convey the relevant information, so this answer doesn’t necessarily affect the argument.
  3. C
    Computers have proven to Remaining source text redacted.
    Why choice C is not credited
    The stimulus specifically notes that the issue is a failure to learn how to use laboratory equipment, not scientific terminology.
  4. D
    Secondary schools and universities Remaining source text redacted.
    Why choice D is not credited
    The amount of money spent on something doesn’t speak to whether it’s a good idea or using it is an effective means of teaching.
  5. E
    University students can learn Remaining source text redacted.
    Why choice E matches the stem
    This answer highlights both the shift between learning how to use lab equipment and learning science, and between the “most effective” method and the only effective method. If university students can still learn science just fine without learning how to use lab equipment, then there’s less a reason to stop the shift from live lab experiments to computer simulations - they may not be as effective, but they still set up students to learn science effectively in university.

What this tests

Question analytics

Based on historical answer selection rates for this question.

Answer choice distribution

  1. A 6%
  2. B 5%
  3. C 1%
  4. D 1%
  5. E Credited 86%

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