Logical reasoning PrepTest 126 · Section 3 · Question 1

Question prompt

Aristophanes' play The Clouds Remaining source text redacted.
Why the credited answer is right

Credited answer: B

The notes below walk through why it fits the stem and how to eliminate the rest.

Argument or Facts

Facts

Valid or Flawed

NA

Question Type

Paradox Questions

Stimulus Summary

Aristophanes’ Socrates - In his mid-forties, atheistic and interested in natural science
Other Socrates portrayals - After his death at 70, religious and interested in ethics

Answer Anticipation

This Paradox question asks us to resolve the different portrayals of Socrates in two “sets” of texts - Aristophanes’ The Clouds, and portrayals written after his death. The former portrays a mid-40s atheist interested in science; the latter were written after he lived to 70 and showed a religious philosopher interested in ethics. What can explain the different portrayals?
Well, one was made when Socrates was in his mid-40s, and the others are from after he lived to be 70. It’s completely within the realm of possibility that Socrates changed in those 2-3 decades, and so any portrayal of him from the different times would reflect that. Let’s find an answer saying that the 45-year-old Socrates had different interests than he did when he was 70 years old and dead.

Answer choices

  1. A
    Aristophanes' portrayal of Socrates Remaining source text redacted.
    Why choice A is not credited
    First, this answer doesn’t explain why Aristophanes would create a negative portrayal of Socrates compared to the positive ones of the other writings. Second, it doesn’t address the shift in Socrates’ characteristics and interests.
  2. B
    Socrates' philosophical views and Remaining source text redacted.
    Why choice B matches the stem
    This answer highlights a shift in Socrates’ views and interests after Aristophanes’ portrayed him. If Socrates’ views and interests shifted after the play was written but before the later portrayals were after his death, then it makes sense that the portrayal would reflect that shift. This resolves the paradox.
  3. C
    Most of the philosophers Remaining source text redacted.
    Why choice C is not credited
    All of the writings in question are from during or after Socrates’ life, so those who lived before Socrates are almost certainly out of scope.
  4. D
    Socrates was a much Remaining source text redacted.
    Why choice D is not credited
    This answer can feel like it provides an explanation by highlighting a shift in Socrates. However, there are two issues with it. First, there’s no indication that natural science wasn’t controversial, or that ethics and religion were at the time. Second, “controversial” is determined by the rest of society, not the individual deemed controversial. Socrates becoming controversial later in life is just as possibly a result of society changes as of Socrates changing.
  5. E
    Socrates had an influence Remaining source text redacted.
    Why choice E is not credited
    This doesn’t address the later portrayals of Socrates as being a religious man interested in ethics, so it doesn’t address the seemingly contradictory depictions of the man.

What this tests

Question analytics

Based on historical answer selection rates for this question.

Answer choice distribution

  1. A 4%
  2. B Credited 92%
  3. C 1%
  4. D 1%
  5. E 1%

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