Reading comp PrepTest 140 · Section 4 · Question 19

Passage

Questions 14-19  .       In certain fields of human endeavor, such as  . music, chess, and some athletic activities, the  . Remaining source text redacted.
Passage walkthrough
Passage SummaryTopic: Science

Paragraph 1
  • Paragraph note
    • A phenomenon and explanation are introduced
  • Views, minor Meta-Structures, and the author's attitude
    • Phenomenon - Some people are so much better at stuff than others
    • Common/Psychologist explanation - They're born with it
Paragraph 2
  • Paragraph note
    • New research challenges that explanation
  • Views, minor Meta-Structures, and the author's attitude
    • Problem - Old explanation was based on random samples, not real studies
    • Research - Superior performance is from acquired skills/physiological adaptations
    • Example 1 - Athlete skills are limited to their sport
    • Example 2 - Chess players can only remember real chess moves/games
Paragraph 3
  • Paragraph note
    • Results of new studies expanded
  • Views, minor Meta-Structures, and the author's attitude
    • Vast majority aren't born but train (10+ intense years)
    • Mental and physical traits can be developed
    • Exception - Things like height
Paragraph 4
  • Paragraph note
    • Wrap-up and new focus for predictions
  • Views, minor Meta-Structures, and the author's attitude
    • Evidence - Innate talent doesn't explain exceptional performance
    • What does? Motivation (to put in hours training)
Main Point:
Exceptional performance isn't the result of innate talent but rather over a decade of intense training, which requires motivation from an early age.

Key Lines:
Lines 3-4 - The phenomenon is introduced
Lines 5-10 - An explanation is offered for that phenomenon
Lines 23-27 - The Author's explanation based on new research is offered
Lines 62-64 - Implications of the explanation for predicting success are noted

Meta-Structure:
Phenomenon/Explanation - In particular, this passage is about dueling explanations for the phenomenon of superior performance. Some say that it's innate talent, but the Author argues that it's intense training.

Last Thoughts:
The passage is actually pretty straightforward! There are several examples in the paragraphs (sports, chess, height), so we should anticipate questions about them. Other than that, there aren't many outstanding features here.

Question prompt

The passage says that Remaining source text redacted.
Why the credited answer is right

Credited answer: D

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

Question Type

Social Science

Answer choices

  1. A
    some sequences of moves Remaining source text redacted.
    Why choice A is not credited
    Incorrect. Sequences of moves aren't mentioned in the relevant section.
  2. B
    some types of complex Remaining source text redacted.
    Why choice B is not credited
    Incorrect. Sequences aren't mentioned in the relevant section.
  3. C
    some chess games that Remaining source text redacted.
    Why choice C is not credited
    Incorrect. The relative ease of the games isn't mentioned in the relevant section, nor are entire games themselves!
  4. D
    some kinds of arrangements Remaining source text redacted.
    Why choice D matches the stem
    Correct. Question Type:
    Must Be True

    Strategy Overview:
    Find the relevant section and read it to find the answer

    Answer Anticipation/Relevant Lines:
    One important thing to note in any RC passage is examples—when the passage includes any, it's almost certain that there will be at least one question about them. Here, we noted two examples at the end of Paragraph 2, the second of which is about chess players.

    This question asks us about what superior chess players don't have exceptional memory for. Looking at the end of the relevant paragraph (Lines 32-35), we see that these chess players have exceptional memory for chess configurations "only if" (line 34) those configurations are typical of chess games. That means they wouldn't have exceptional memory for any other chess configurations—ones that aren't typical of chess games. Let's find an answer stating that.

    Answer Explanation:
    (Lines 32-35) The passage notes that the best chess players have exceptional memory for chess configurations "only if" they are typical configurations, so they don't have exceptional memory for chess configurations if they aren't typical. As such, they don't have exceptional memory for some kinds of arrangements of chess pieces—those that aren't typical of chess games. This answer is therefore correct.

    Key Takeaway:
    Always note examples, along with a descriptor so you can quickly find it if it's asked about. For the most part, passages that include examples will have at least one of them show up as the topic of a question.
  5. E
    some types of factors Remaining source text redacted.
    Why choice E is not credited
    Incorrect. Logical analysis outside of a competitive setting? This answer is outside the scope of the argument.

What this tests

Question analytics

Based on historical answer selection rates for this question.

Answer choice distribution

  1. A 51%
  2. B 8%
  3. C 3%
  4. D Credited 32%
  5. E 6%

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