Logical reasoning PrepTest 157 · Section 2 · Question 10

Question prompt

The Industrial Revolution decreased 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.

Argument or Facts

Argument

Valid or Flawed

Flawed

Strategy Overview

Argument or facts? Always argument, so identify premises and conclusions of argument Anticipate why the premises are not enough to show that the conclusion is true Causal argument? Look for answer choice that: Shows possible alternate cause Shows cause without effect Shows effect without cause Shows the cause and effect are reversed If not causal argument, anticipate ways to worsen problem with argument Use anticipations to select the answer choice that, if true, would weaken argument

Answer Anticipation

Our ultimate goal is to find the answer choice that weakens the argument. However, it's much easier to do that if we first break down the argument and identify its flaws. Then, weakening the argument is only a matter of finding the answer choice that exploits that flaw. After breaking down this argument, an experienced test-taker will immediately note that this conclusion introduces a new idea — "our most important intellectual skills." (If you were unsure why this is the conclusion, the tonal word "Clearly" suggests that it is conclusory. And the last sentence provides an example of how technology will devalue our intellectual skills, supporting that claim and proving that it is the conclusion.) Whenever the author introduces a new term in the conclusion — one that the premises do not discuss — the author likely commits a "concept switch" (also known as an "equivocation"). The author assumes that a concept in the premise is the same as the new idea in the conclusion, even though those two things could be quite different. In this case, the author assumes that the ability to perform "[c]omputations that once took skilled mathematicians a long time" is the same as the "most important intellectual skills" that technology will devalue. After all, the author thinks that computers will allow moderately well-trained high schoolers to complete these computations quickly — just like the Industrial Revolution allowed unskilled workers to produce previously skilled-labor-intensive goods quickly. We can weaken this concept switch by showing that these two things are very different. The correct answer will likely show that these kinds of mathematical computations are not among our era's most important intellectual skills. That said, many things could feasibly weaken this argument, so we should keep an open mind as we progress through the answer choices. We can start by asking whether each answer choice tends to show that data-processing technology may not devalue our most important intellectual skills, even if they help people make quick computations.

Answer choices

  1. A
    Much industrial machinery is Remaining source text redacted.
    Why choice A is not credited

    If we anticipated that the correct answer should bring up why these kinds of computations are not among this era's most important intellectual skills, we can eliminate — or at least table — this answer choice without thinking about it too deeply. It doesn't discuss the conclusion's new idea (the era's "most important intellectual skills"), so it doesn't impact the flaw we identified in the argument. So, we shouldn't dwell on this answer choice as we take our first pass through the answer choices.

    Besides, this answer choice is irrelevant to the author’s argument. It doesn’t show that data-processing technology may not devalue our most important intellectual skills, even if they help people make quick computations. In fact, the author's conclusion doesn't have anything to do with "industrial machinery"! The discussion of the machinery produced during the Industrial Revolution was simply part of an analogy to show how technology can devalue certain skills. The author's conclusion doesn't suggest that computers will affect industrial machinery in any way.

  2. B
    Before electronic data-processing technology, Remaining source text redacted.
    Why choice B is not credited

    If we anticipated that the correct answer should bring up why these kinds of computations are not among this era's most important intellectual skills, we can eliminate — or at least table — this answer choice without thinking about it too deeply. It doesn't discuss the conclusion's new idea (the era's "most important intellectual skills"), so it doesn't impact the flaw we identified in the argument. So, we shouldn't dwell on this answer choice as we take our first pass through the answer choices.

    Besides, this answer choice is irrelevant to the author’s argument. Even if mathematical techniques reduce the time it takes to perform computations, we know that electronic data-processing technology will reduce the time even more. Moreover, we also know that this tech will reduce the expertise needed to perform these computations. Reducing the time and expertise needed to perform these computations could lead to a devaluation of that computational skill. So, this answer choice doesn't show that data-processing technology may not devalue our most important intellectual skills.

  3. C
    On average, skilled mathematicians Remaining source text redacted.
    Why choice C is not credited

    If we anticipated that the correct answer should bring up why these kinds of computations are not among this era's most important intellectual skills, we can eliminate — or at least table — this answer choice without thinking about it too deeply. It doesn't discuss the conclusion's new idea (the era's "most important intellectual skills"), so it doesn't impact the flaw we identified in the argument. So, we shouldn't dwell on this answer choice as we take our first pass through the answer choices.

    Besides, this answer choice is irrelevant to the author’s argument. It doesn't matter if skilled mathematicians tend to be younger than the pre-Industrial-Revolution "skilled craftspeople." Electronic data-processing technology can devalue these mathematicians' computational skills, regardless of their age!

  4. D
    The intellectual skills that Remaining source text redacted.
    Why choice D matches the stem

    This definitely weakens the author’s argument. As we anticipated, it shows that the kinds of mathematical computations electronic data-processing tech can make easier are not among our era's most important intellectual skills. So, even if such technology makes these computations easier, the technology may not devalue our most important intellectual skills. If such technology cannot reduce the time or expertise required to perform the most valued skills, we have compelling reasons to doubt this author's conclusion.

  5. E
    Electronic data-processing technology has Remaining source text redacted.
    Why choice E is not credited

    If we anticipated that the correct answer should bring up why these kinds of computations are not among this era's most important intellectual skills, we can eliminate — or at least table — this answer choice without thinking about it too deeply. It doesn't discuss the conclusion's new idea (the era's "most important intellectual skills"), so it doesn't impact the flaw we identified in the argument. So, we shouldn't dwell on this answer choice as we take our first pass through the answer choices.

    Besides, this answer choice doesn't weaken the author’s argument. We have no idea if the tasks that "previously could not be performed at all" rely on "our most important intellectual skills." If they do rely on such skills, then this answer choice strengthens the author's argument — it provides another example of why technology may devalue certain skills. If they don't, then this answer choice is irrelevant to the argument.

Question analytics

Based on historical answer selection rates for this question.

Answer choice distribution

  1. A 3%
  2. B 14%
  3. C 4%
  4. D Credited 59%
  5. E 19%

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