Logical reasoning PrepTest 154 · Section 1 · Question 24

Incorrect. While this answer choice provides a means by which someone could eat more calories and not be overweight, it doesn't explain the tendency of those who eat nuts to fall into that category. This answer would need to connect the nut eating group to the exercise group to properly resolve the paradox.

Incorrect. So close! This answer is almost in line with our anticipation. However, this answer choice connects the high-calorie nature of nuts to feeling full. That doesn't suggest that these individuals are feeling full while eating fewer calories, but rather that they're feeling full because they're eating a "sufficiently large quantity" of calories.

Incorrect. This answer moves past the argument to form a recommendation based on the paradox. That will never resolve the paradox itself.

Incorrect. If anything this answer makes the discrepancy worse! The stimulus establishes that, all other things equal, more calories means more likely to be overweight. If the two groups that are compared in the stimulus are eating an equivalent number of calories, then it'd be expected that they'd have the same likelihood of being overweight (again, other things being equal). Since this answer creates an expectation that is broken, it doesn't resolve the paradox but adds to it.

Correct. Argument or Facts:
Facts

Question Type:
Paradox

Stimulus Summary:
All else equal, more calories = more likely one is overweight. Nuts are high in calories. But those who eat more nuts are less likely to be overweight than those who never eat nuts.

Answer Anticipation:
This is a Paradox question, so we're looking for an explanation of how all the statements can coexist, even when they sound contradictory. Here, we're told that the more calories one eats, the more likely one is to be overweight. But people who eat a high-calorie food—nuts—are, on average, less likely to be overweight than those who never eat nuts. For that to be true, these individuals must be eating fewer calories overall. So the correct answer should connect eating nuts with eating fewer overall calories.

Answer Explanation:
This answer suggests a connection between eating nuts (even with their higher calorie count) and eating fewer calories overall. If those who eat nuts eat fewer foods that make someone hungry, then those who eat nuts would be less hungry, presumably then eating fewer overall calories. And the stimulus establishes that fewer calories = less likely to be overweight, thus resolving the paradox.

Key Takeaway:
The clearer you are on the paradox from the stimulus in a Paradox question, the less likely you are to fall for a trap answer. Be sure to clearly frame the expectation that is broken in order to know what you need to explain with the correct answer.