Logical reasoning PrepTest 157 · Section 2 · Question 2

Question prompt

The sculptor Barajas died Remaining source text redacted.
Why the credited answer is right

Credited answer: A

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 would probably notice that the conclusion is comparative. The author concludes that the assistants' version of Sonora probably looks the same as the version Barajas would have completed. Whenever an argument concludes that two things are similar, it probably overlooks some relevant differences between those two things. In this case, the author concludes that the assistants' version of Sonora probably looks like the version Barajas would have completed because the assistants' version is based on three of Barajas's sketches. That's not enough to guarantee that the two statues will look the same. I've never sculpted anything not made out of Play-Doh — I'm sure my version of Sonora would look nothing like the version made by a skilled sculptor, even if I had thousands of Barajas's sketches. Likewise, maybe Barajas's assistants lack the skill, vision, or materials that Barajas would have used. Or, maybe Barajas often deviated from her sketches in unpredictable ways. At any rate, the correct answer will point out why the assistants' version of Sonora might not look like Barajas's version.

Answer choices

  1. A
    Ordinarily, Barajas's ideas for Remaining source text redacted.
    Why choice A matches the stem

    This points out a reason why the assistants' version of Sonora would not look like Barajas's version, thereby weakening the author's conclusion. If Barajas revised her ideas significantly through "dozens of preliminary sketches," the assistants — who used just "three sketches" — might not have sculpted the same statue Barajas would have. Barajas would have likely revised Sonora through later sketches and created a different version of the statue than her assistants. Since this answer choice weakens the argument in the way we anticipated that it would, we can select this choice and give the remaining choices a cursory glance.

  2. B
    One of the assistants Remaining source text redacted.
    Why choice B is not credited

    This doesn't weaken the argument. If none of the assistants who worked closely with Barajas in planning Sonora participated in sculpting it, this might weaken the argument. (What a difference one letter "n" can make!) However, one assistant isn't enough to make a big difference. Perhaps several other assistants who helped Barajas plan Sonora sculpted the final product. These assistants could provide insight into Barajas's vision, making the final version resemble the version Barajas would have made.

  3. C
    Sonora is composed partly Remaining source text redacted.
    Why choice C is not credited

    As written, this answer choice doesn't provide enough information to weaken the argument. This answer choice wants us to assume that the decision to use materials Barajas rarely used was the assistants'. If that were true, then the assistants' version of Sonoroa would probably look quite different from Barajas's. However, Barajas could have decided to use these materials, and the assistants could be following her wishes.

  4. D
    Barajas always worked from Remaining source text redacted.
    Why choice D is not credited

    If this has any effect on the argument, it strengthens it. If Barajas always worked from sketches when sculpting, then her assistants would probably have insight into how Barajas used her sketches to make sculptures. This would make it easier for her assistants to create a sculpture that resembles what Barajas would have made.

  5. E
    Barajas never took as Remaining source text redacted.
    Why choice E is not credited

    This is irrelevant to the argument. The assistants might have taken longer than Barajas would have, but that could be because they were being extra careful to follow Barajas's sketches and make sure that the final product resembled Barajas's vision! At any rate, this doesn't present a reason why the sketches aren't enough to guarantee a resemblance between the assistants' version and Barajas's.

Question analytics

Based on historical answer selection rates for this question.

Answer choice distribution

  1. A Credited 76%
  2. B 5%
  3. C 19%
  4. D 1%
  5. E 1%

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