PrepTest 129

Incorrect. If the cash prizes were too small to have an effect, then why did the stories written by those vying for the prizes differ from those who didn't have the cash prize? This answer suggests the stories should have been ranked about the same, not different (even if different was worse).

Correct. Argument or Facts:
Facts

Question Type:
Paradox

Stimulus Summary:
Randomly selected groups were told to write short stories on the same topic.
Group 1—Told best stories get cash prizes
Group 2—Not told anything about prizes
Outcome: Group 2's stories were ranked higher than Group 1's

Answer Anticipation:
As with most Paradox questions, a comparison is raised, an unexpected outcome is highlighted, and we're tasked with making sense of it!

Here, one would expect that those competing for cash prizes might put more effort into the stories, thus resulting in better scores. That's not what happened, with the other group scoring higher! There must be something different about a group writing for a competition versus one writing for no specific prize (or even the idea that they're competing) that leads to the latter writing better stories. The correct answer will bring up this relevant difference.

Answer Explanation:
This answer highlights a difference between those writing for the cash prizes and those not. The former had a greater tendency than usual to show little creativity in their stories. The latter group would, presumably, show about the usual tendency to produce this type of story. The stories of those who thought they were competing for prizes being less creative than stories of those who didn't know they were competing for cash prizes gives a difference that could drive the lower rankings, thus resolving the paradox.

Key Takeaway:
When two groups have a different outcome, the correct answer in a Paradox question will likely raise a relevant difference between the groups that relates to those outcomes.

Incorrect. This would apply to both groups equally, so it can't explain the different outcomes.

Incorrect. There's no indication which group wrote more realistic stories, and there's no reason to believe that one group would write more realistic stories than the other, so this answer doesn't provide enough information to resolve the paradox.

Incorrect. Since this answer applies equally to both groups, it doesn't explain the outcomes that differed by group.