Logical reasoning PrepTest 132 · Section 4 · Question 8

Incorrect. While studies show that cultures do discuss the same themes in their stories, there's no indication that this is because one culture borrows from another—they might just touch on concerns that are universal to humans!

Incorrect. There's no indication that the storytellers themselves know that all cultures tell stories. They may believe that their culture is unique in that regard!

Correct. Argument or Facts:
Argument

Valid or Flawed:
Flawed

Question Type:
Must Be True

Stimulus Summary:
Very different cultures have common storytelling themes and structures, so storytelling appears to be a universal feature of cultures.

Answer Anticipation:
The stimulus doesn't really lend itself generally to inferences. There aren't conditionals or overlapping terms. However, it does have a very strong, comparative statement—it says that storytelling is universal. That means that all human cultures are similar in at least one way—they tell stories.

While it's hard to know exactly how this will lead to an answer—there are so many possibilities!—focusing on this strong statement that relates all human cultures to each other will likely drive us to the correct answer.

Answer Explanation:
Every culture tells stories, and studies of a wide spread of cultures show that these stories have common themes. This strongly suggests that these cultures share concerns and interests that lead them to tell stories on the same themes.

Key Takeaway:
Strong statements tend to lead to correct answers in Must Be True questions. Comparisons as well. When you get a strong comparison, focus on that in anticipating correct answers.

Incorrect. While storytelling is established as being universal, there's no discussion of the relative importance of it over time or between cultures, so this answer is out of scope.

Incorrect. There's no discussion of understanding cultures, let alone the best way to do so.