PrepTest 117

Incorrect. This answer establishes that the home gardeners consulted for the new maps but not the old ones have useful and unique data, thus strengthening the conclusion that maps incorporating this information will be more useful than the old ones.

Correct. Argument or Facts:
Argument

Valid or Flawed:
Flawed

Question Type:
Bizarro Strengthen

Stimulus Summary:
Old maps — Generated 60 years ago from hundreds of basic weather stations
New maps — Generated today from thousands of advanced weather stations and home gardeners
Conclusion — The new maps will be more useful

Answer Anticipation:
This argument is 100% about comparing the old to the new and concluding that the new is better. As such, we should anticipate that the correct answers will bring up the differences between the old maps and the new maps and state that those differences will make the maps more useful. The key differences? They're generated from recent data collected from thousands of modern weather stations and home gardeners.

Answer Explanation:
If anything, this answer cuts against the argument by suggesting that the new and old maps use some of the same data. That said, it's too weak to even have that effect—if only "[s]ome" of the weather stations are old ones then the rest could be modern and thus provide more useful information.

Key Takeaway:
Question #20 is going to be a more difficult question but the stimulus is set up so that it's relatively easy to form an idea of the argument and make some anticipations. Note how it's some of the answers that up the difficulty here by being a little different than what might be expected (e.g. (D)). The answer choices are as much a potential source of difficulty as the stimulus itself so be sure that you leave yourself sufficient time to analyze them!

Incorrect. The new maps are being compiled from significantly more weather stations and home gardeners, so there is more information available. This answer guarantees that weather patterns can thus be described more accurately, strengthening the conclusion that the new maps will be more useful.

Incorrect. The maps in question are designed to show where garden plants will flourish. If weather patterns are the most important factor in that determination, then these maps are more likely to be useful since they have better information about weather conditions.

Incorrect. If weather patterns have changed, then the maps need updating with fresh information, making new maps reflecting new conditions more useful than old maps reflecting old conditions.