Logical reasoning PrepTest 155 · Section 2 · Question 2

Question prompt

Javier: Government workers are Remaining source text redacted.
Why the credited answer is right

Credited answer: B

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

Question Type

Point at Issue Questions

Answer choices

  1. A
    the government could reduce Remaining source text redacted.
    Why choice A is not credited
    Incorrect. Neither speaker mentions anything about the number of employees on payroll. That's a jump, since shifting work around may require hiring different workers.
  2. B
    the government would save Remaining source text redacted.
    Why choice B matches the stem
    Correct. Argument or Facts:
    Argument

    Valid or Flawed:
    Flawed

    Question Type:
    Point at Issue

    Stimulus Summary:
    J: Since the government pays more than the private sector, the government could save money by contracting work out.

    M: Looking at the numbers, the government paid more when it contracted work out.

    Answer Anticipation:
    J thinks hiring contractors would save the government money. M thinks that it costs more. That's the point of disagreement here!

    Answer Explanation:
    J agrees with this ("the government could save money . . . "), while M disagrees ("the government paid substantially more"). This is the answer.

    Key Takeaway:
    For Point at Issue questions, throw out any answer where one of the speakers doesn't have a clear view on it. You can look for key terms that are out of scope, like "payroll" in (A).
  3. C
    government workers generally are Remaining source text redacted.
    Why choice C is not credited
    Incorrect. J agrees, flat out stating this. However, M just talks about the overall cost of performing tasks, which doesn't take into account the amount of time those tasks took and thus doesn't speak to hourly wages.
  4. D
    every service that is Remaining source text redacted.
    Why choice D is not credited
    Incorrect. This answer is too extreme, and neither speaker definitely agrees with it. While they both believe that there are some tasks that could be contracted out, neither uses language as extreme as "every".
  5. E
    the total amount of Remaining source text redacted.
    Why choice E is not credited
    Incorrect. Neither speaker compares the total amount paid to workers vs. contractors, instead comparing the amount for individual workers/roles.

What this tests

Question analytics

Based on historical answer selection rates for this question.

Answer choice distribution

  1. A 2%
  2. B Credited 90%
  3. C 5%
  4. D 1%
  5. E 2%

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

No threads yet—be the first to ask a question or share an approach.

View all discussions Start a discussion