Logical reasoning PrepTest 119 · Section 3 · Question 12

Incorrect. There's no discussion of whether this preference is good or bad for the business, whereas in the stimulus it was noted that the preference led to "not the most profitable" decision being made.

Incorrect. This answer has the person making the choice going for profits over other considerations (here, health), so it's very much the opposite of the stimulus, where "cool factor" was prioritized over profits.

Correct. Argument or Facts:
Argument

Valid or Flawed:
Flawed

Question Type:
Illustration (Principle)

Stimulus Summary:
We ask our IT team to upgrade hardware/software. However, they end up buying cutting-edge tech despite the expense and bugs making them less profitable since they're more exciting.

Answer Anticipation:
This type of Illustration (Principle) question requires us to understand a scenario, abstract the principle underlying it, and then find another situation that follows that principle.

Here, the situation discusses a problem with asking a certain group of experts to do something. In asking the tech experts to upgrade the technology, they go with the "cool" stuff instead of the most profitable stuff, focusing on their own interests over the business's interests.

We should therefore look for an answer that has a group tasked with accomplishing something focusing on a criteria that doesn't align with the goals of the organization that gave them the task.

Answer Explanation:
This answer aligns with the principle illustrated by the stimulus. Here, librarians are tasked by the library with selecting books. Instead of picking the best to reach the goals of the organization (catering to the interests of the community), the librarians went with their own preferences, much as the IT team prioritized what "excite[d]" them over what would work best for the company.

Key Takeaway:
Illustration (Principle) questions require you to walk a fine line. You don't want the principle that you anticipate guiding the answer to be too specific to the topic at hand, as then you'll eliminate the right answer. But you don't want to abstract too far away from the stimulus, or there will be multiple answers that look correct. In general, the relationships and groups are important to track, but the topics aren't. For example, here, the assignor, assignee, and alignment of goals was important, but the specific organizations and what those goals were wasn't.

Incorrect. This answer is about individuals making decisions that reach one self-determined goal instead of another. There's no outside group establishing a goal for these students that they then don't meet with their decisions (the school is presumably offering both classes because they want students to take either).

Incorrect. This answer sees TV executives making a decision based on what viewers want instead of the most artistic pieces. That's not a decision based on their own preferences, and it's likely that giving viewers what they want is aligned with the goals of the station.