PrepTest 124

Incorrect. While that may have been a recent belief, the stimulus notes that the workers now do believe that a strike will generally improve working conditions, so this answer brings up an irrelevant piece of information.

Incorrect. There's no indication that this would affect any positive changes to the work environment. If anything, this might suggest that the owners would agree to whatever to end the strike since they'd be gone before the improvements would generally come to pass.

Incorrect. Just because conditions are worse elsewhere doesn't mean they can't be bad enough to justify a strike. The stimulus notes that the working conditions here are poor, so this answer doesn't explain why the workers wouldn't strike.

Correct. Argument or Facts:
Facts

Question Type:
Paradox

Stimulus Summary:
Despite knowing that working conditions usually eventually improve after a strike, a given union refuses to strike to improve poor working conditions.

Answer Anticipation:
You should always start tackling a Paradox question by clearly stating the paradox.

Here, there are workers who are working in poor conditions. They know that working conditions are likely to improve after 5 years, but are refusing to strike. Why would they refuse to strike if it'd likely improve their working conditions?

Well, there are two details that give us an avenue to anticipate an answer. First, conditions usually" improve after a strike. That's no guarantee, and the workers may be unwilling to take the risk, especially if the short—term costs are high (e.g., lost wages, job loss). Second, it's noted that conditions improve after five years, which is a long timeline to wait on. Maybe most of the workers are planning to leave before that time period, so they have nothing to gain by striking.

Let's head into the answers to see if we can find something that aligns with that.

Answer Explanation:
The stimulus notes that the benefits are experienced at the five—year mark. If most workers plan to leave before then, they wouldn't have much of a reason to strike, thus explaining that decision.

Key Takeaway:
If you clearly frame the paradox, there will usually be details that become relevant in helping to explain what's going on. Always be sure to start Paradox questions by clearly establishing what unexpected thing happened.

Incorrect. The paradox revolves around working conditions, which are noted as poor, not pay. Additionally, a pay increase isn't necessarily large enough to be meaningful.