Logical reasoning PrepTest 123 · Section 2 · Question 14

Question prompt

A cup of raw 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

Cause & Effect / Weaken Questions

Stimulus Summary

Microwaving milk to 50+C reduces L by half. Heating milk to 50+C doesn't reduce L. Therefore, microwaves, not heat, destroy L.

Answer Anticipation

The conclusion here is causal, stating that microwaves are the cause for decreased amounts of L. However, the conclusion also states that heat doesn't cause the destruction of L. While we should look for answer choices that fall into our regular categories to weaken causal relationships (alternative causes; counterexamples; reversed causality), we should also look out for support for the alternative cause the stimulus already brought up—heat. While the argument attempted to rule it out as a cause, an answer choice that supports it as a cause or attacks the evidence used to rule it out would also weaken the argument.

Answer choices

  1. A
    Heating raw milk in Remaining source text redacted.
    Why choice A is not credited
    Incorrect. This answer choice raises the temperature, which makes the comparison between the microwave and the heat source irrelevant and thus harder to draw any conclusion from. That said, more microwaving destroying more L would, if anything, align with the argument.
  2. B
    Enzymes in raw milk Remaining source text redacted.
    Why choice B is not credited
    Incorrect. The argument only deals with the destruction of the L enzyme, not whether microwaving or conventional heating is better or if there's a fix for losing the enzyme. This answer is out of scope.
  3. C
    A liquid exposed to Remaining source text redacted.
    Why choice C is not credited
    Incorrect. If this answer brought up the speed of heating between a microwave and conventional heat source, then it might weaken the argument by bringing up an alternative cause (speed of heating instead of the microwaves or the heat itself). However, since it's a comparison between two conventional heat sources, it doesn't undermine the relationship between microwaving and losing L enzyme.
  4. D
    Milk that has been Remaining source text redacted.
    Why choice D is not credited
    Incorrect. Taste has nothing to do with the argument, so this answer is out of scope.
  5. E
    Heating any liquid by Remaining source text redacted.
    Why choice E matches the stem
    Correct. This answer choice deals with microwaves and heat, so it's worth digging in deeper. Initially, it can be hard to see how this answer choice would impact the argument. However, if certain pockets of liquid are much hotter than the 50C, then maybe the L enzyme is being destroyed by heat in those areas, while not being destroyed in others. It would explain why not all the L is being destroyed when exposed to microwaves! This answer provides evidence that an alternative cause of the L being destroyed—heat—is a viable explanation, and so it weakens the explanation that it's the microwaves.

What this tests

Question analytics

Based on historical answer selection rates for this question.

Answer choice distribution

  1. A 12%
  2. B 12%
  3. C 25%
  4. D 6%
  5. E Credited 45%

Deeper help

Ask follow-ups on any step

Optional AI tutor mode will let you interrogate assumptions, compare answers, and drill weak patterns without leaving the page.

Human-written explanations stay primary; AI is an add-on when you want it.

Discussion

View all discussions Start a discussion