Logical reasoning PrepTest 139 · Section 1 · Question 11

Incorrect. Ignorance to poetry is only one of the two explanations that the Editor believes could be true, so the statement in question doesn't support that specific conclusion.

Incorrect. The Editor doesn't believe the question was ambiguous, just that students didn't understand it or didn't have a correct answer to it.

Incorrect. While the Editor doesn't conclude that either of the potential explanations is the correct one, she doesn't conclude that these results are difficult to interpret. Rather, she believes both potential explanations lead to the same conclusion.

Incorrect. While the argument doesn't let the inability to settle on a single explanation preclude it from drawing a conclusion, the point of the argument isn't to show that this ambiguity shouldn't let us draw a conclusion, but rather to support the conclusion.

Correct. Argument or Facts:
Argument

Valid or Flawed:
Flawed

Question Type:
Argument Structure

Stimulus Summary:
Phenomenon - When asked for a poet who was contemporaneous with Shakespeare, 60% named a modern poet
Explanation - Either they didn't know a contemporaneous poet, or they didn't know what that word meant
Conclusion - Our education system is bad

Answer Anticipation:
The argument brings up a noted phenomenon and then puts forward two potential explanations for it. It then notes that either explanation leads to the same conclusion.

The statement in question is a part of the phenomenon that the argument raises explanations for. It's support for the main point that the education system is flawed. Either of these angles (or both) could show up in the correct answer.

Answer Explanation:
The results of the experiment are used to support the conclusion that something is wrong with the education system, by showing that either of the two explanations for the results highlight flaws in that education system.

Key Takeaway:
For Argument Structure questions, you'll be in good shape if you can identify the statement in question as background, part of an opposing point, or part of the author's argument; and as a premise, intermediate conclusion, or main point. Here, noting that it supported the author's conclusion was enough to get to the correct answer.