Logical reasoning PrepTest 133 · Section 3 · Question 10

Question prompt

Editorial: Many critics of Remaining source text redacted.
Why the credited answer is right

Credited answer: A

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

Question Type

Main Point Questions

Answer choices

  1. A
    The claim that advertising Remaining source text redacted.
    Why choice A matches the stem
    Correct. Argument or Facts:
    Argument

    Valid or Flawed:
    Flawed

    Question Type:
    Main Point

    Stimulus Summary:
    Critics of consumerism - Ads convince people they need stuff that they only really want
    Rebuttal - It's sometimes impossible to distinguish a want from a need
    Conclusion - The criticism rests on an unclear distinction

    Answer Anticipation:
    The argument opens with what "[m]any critics" insist, which is almost certainly an opposing point. That's reinforced by the pivot in the next statement ("However"), where the Editorial brings up a criticism of that viewpoint. Criticisms of opposing views are almost always main points, and the final statement in the stimulus backs that up by supporting the pivot statement. If wants and needs are often impossible to distinguish from each other, then the critics are resting their accusation on a "fuzzy distinction" between those two ideas.

    Answer Explanation:
    This answer reflects the Editorial's opinion of the opposing point, backed up by the final sentence, so it's the main point.

    Key Takeaway:
    An opinion of an opposing point is almost always the main point of an argument.
  2. B
    Many critics of consumerism Remaining source text redacted.
    Why choice B is not credited
    Incorrect. This is the opposing point.
  3. C
    There is nothing wrong Remaining source text redacted.
    Why choice C is not credited
    Incorrect. This opinion isn't stated anywhere in the argument, so it's out of scope.
  4. D
    Many critics of consumerism Remaining source text redacted.
    Why choice D is not credited
    Incorrect. The Editorial never accuses the critics of failing to recognize that some things are required for happiness, just that it can be impossible to distinguish between wants and needs.
  5. E
    Critics of consumerism often Remaining source text redacted.
    Why choice E is not credited
    Incorrect. This answer is too broad—the stimulus is about one argument, not what critics of consumerism "often" do.

What this tests

Question analytics

Based on historical answer selection rates for this question.

Answer choice distribution

  1. A Credited 87%
  2. B 5%
  3. C 2%
  4. D 2%
  5. E 4%

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