Logical reasoning PrepTest 156 · Section 4 · Question 3

Flawed

Argument or facts for both speakers? If argument for one or both speakers, identify the conclusion and premises Anticipate the issue that speakers disagree over. Helps to focus on topics both speakers discuss

Point at Issue questions ask us to find an answer choice one speaker agrees with and the other disagrees with. Many test-takers prefer to answer these questions by reading both speakers' statements carefully and then testing whether each speaker agrees or disagrees with each answer chioce. If you prefer to anticipate what the correct answer choice will say, we can start by identifying a topic both speakers discuss. In this argument, James and Ariel circle many of the same topics. They both discuss the division between computer-literate and computer-illiterate people, the importance of computer literacy, the gap between the rich and poor, and whether the gap between the rich and poor will grow. We can rule out a few topics James and Ariel agree on. They both think computer literacy is important and that there's a division between computer-literate and computer-illiterate people (James: "The world is increasingly divided between the computer literate and the computer illiterate"; Ariel: "This will lessen the division between the computer literate and the computer illiterate"). Moreover, they both concede that there's a growing gap between the rich and poor (James: "the economic gap between rich and poor is partly responsible for causing this division ... the economic gap will widen"; Ariel: "whatever might cause the economic gap between rich and poor to widen in the future"). What they disagree over then is whether the division between computer-literate and computer-illiterate people will grow in the future. James says it will ("The world is increasingly divided between the computer literate and the computer illiterate"). But Ariel thinks it will get smaller ("This will lessen the division between the computer literate and the computer illiterate"). James bases this conclusion on the "increasing importance of computer literacy," a premise that Ariel agrees with. Ariel's reasoning involves the training that businesses provide, which is a topic that James never brings up. So, if the correct answer brings up this disagreement, it couldn't include either speaker's reasoning. Alternatively, James and Ariel also disagree over what will cause the gap between the rich and poor to grow. James thinks it will grow "because of the increasing importance of computer literacy." However, Ariel explicitly rules out that potential cause ("whatever might cause the economic gap between rich and poor to widen in the future, it won’t be the importance of computer literacy"). So, the correct answer could bring up this instead. Let's look for one of these anticipations in the answer choice.