PrepTest 130

Incorrect. The awareness of the younger members towards societal change isn't required for this argument to work. They just need to be able to tell if the advice of their elders is relevant to them.

Incorrect. This answer is very close, but it connects deference from the conclusion to the practicality of the advice. The relevant connection is between the value they place in that advice and deference.

Correct. Argument or Facts:
Argument

Valid or Flawed:
Flawed

Question Type:
Strengthen with Necessary Premise

Stimulus Summary:
Society slowly changes—The young value the advice of the oldSociety quickly changes—The young don't value the advice of the oldTherefore: The speed of societal change can be measured through deference the young pay the old.

Answer Anticipation:
The premises and conclusion here are both about the speed of societal changes, so there's no gap there. However, the conclusion also discusses deference paid to the old by the young, while that term is nowhere to be seen in the premises. Instead, the premises talk about the young valuing the advice of their elders. The argument is jumping between those concepts—while they're related, they're not the same, and so the correct answer should connect them.

Answer Explanation:
This answer choice makes the connection that the argument relies on but is lacking from the premises. If deference doesn't vary with value, then the argument falls apart as deference can no longer be connected to societal change.

Key Takeaway:
It's amazing how frequently new terms show up in the conclusion of Strengthen with Necessary/Sufficient Assumption question arguments. Always be on the lookout for them, as they provide a first step into finding the gap in the argument.

Incorrect. The argument is about how the youths view the advice of elders ("young people think . . . "), not how relevant it actually is, so this answer is out of scope.

Incorrect. A connection between the value placed in advice and relevance is already established in the stimulus, but it's a connection between value and how relevant the advice is thought to be, so this answer isn't a necessary connection.