PrepTest 121

Incorrect. The argument is about who should be allowed to teach a subject, not whether students would take the class.

Incorrect. The Math Professor doesn't discuss the competence of students in social sciences versus math majors, so this answer is out of scope.

Correct. Argument or Facts:
Argument/Argument

Valid or Flawed:
Flawed/Flawed

Question Type:
Errors in Reasoning

Stimulus Summary:
PP: Social science departments can best teach their students what methods and interpretations to use, so they should be the only ones to teach applied statistics.

MP: My math classes teach the same stuff from the same book, so other departments should be allowed to teach applied statistics.

Answer Anticipation:
Whenever a question in a two-speaker stimulus asks you about a flaw in the rebuttal, you should consider whether the second speaker addresses the point made by the first.

Here, the Psych Professor's key point is that the social science teachers are better suited to teach students how to apply statistics to their fields and interpret data from experiments in their areas. The Math Professor, however, doesn't address that—stating that a math professor could cover the material just as well.

By failing to address a key benefit raised by the Psych Professor, the Math Professor's argument falls short of a true rebuttal.

Answer Explanation:
The key point the Psych Professor makes is that those in the social sciences departments are best able to teach which methods are best for their disciplines and how to best interpret the data from experiments in these areas. The Math Professor addresses whether professors in her department are competent to teach the maths, but not whether they're competent to teach how to apply it to various social sciences. In failing to address this key point, the Math Professor's rebuttal is questionable, and thus this is the correct answer.

Key Takeaway:
When there's a two-speaker stimulus and the question stem lets you know there's a flaw in the rebuttal, check to see if that rebuttal addresses the issue(s) raised by the first speaker. Frequently, it'll miss the mark!

Incorrect. The Math Professor never addresses any personal aspect of the Psych Professor, so there's no attack on the person flaw here.

Incorrect. By introducing the statement about the textbook with, "In fact . . . " after stating that her class teaches the same material, the Professor implies that the two could exist independently of each other, so she doesn't take this answer for granted.