PrepTest 121

Correct. Argument or Facts:
Argument

Valid or Flawed:
Flawed

Question Type:
Main Point

Stimulus Summary:
Records limit the sound that can be placed in the last song on a side, but CDs don't, so CDs offer more artistic freedom.

Answer Anticipation:
The argument here opens with an opinion about the superiority of CDs over vinyl. Such comparative opinions are generally conclusions.

That's backed up by the following statement explaining a limitation of vinyl records as far as artistic freedom is concerned—they limit what the song that's last on a side can sound like. The second and third sentences are facts, which are rarely conclusions.

The last sentence allows for the comparison to be drawn. It's a fact about CDs—they don't have the limitation pointed out for vinyl records.

So the argument works by showing a downside of vinyl records that isn't present in CDs, and then concluding that CDs therefore provide more artistic freedom. Let's find an answer reflecting that first sentence.

Answer Explanation:
This answer reflects the comparative opinion in the first sentence, so this is the correct answer.

Key Takeaway:Opinions and comparisons—especially comparisons stating one thing is "better" than another in some way—tend to be conclusions.

Incorrect. This answer isn't a part of the argument at all—the argument brings up a premise about the song nearest the center.

Incorrect. This is a fact of physics that establishes a limitation on vinyl records, so it's a premise.

Incorrect. While the conclusion does compare CDs and vinyl records, it does so on the artistic freedom the former provides, not on the technology it represents.

Incorrect. This answer isn't stated in the argument, where this is established as true only of the last song on a side.