PrepTest 143

Incorrect. Shakespeare presumably could dig up a copy of his own play, and also would be familiar with the parts of more than just one character.

Incorrect. This answer doesn't address why one character's part was much more accurate than the others.

Correct. Argument or Facts:
Facts

Question Type:
Must Be True (but see Anticipation)

Stimulus Summary:
Question: Who wrote an abridged version of Hamlet?
Clues: 1) The person didn't have a full copy of the play. 2) One character's lines are accurate; the rest aren't.

Answer Anticipation:
Before we dive into the answers, note the question stem. It doesn't ask for something that Must Be True or can be properly inferred. It doesn't even ask for something that is most strongly supported. It instead asks for something that is "most supported," a weaker version than we normally see, so we should give the correct answer more wiggle room than we normally would. We still need an answer with support, but if it's closer to 80% certain, we'll be fine with it.

Now, how should we approach this? Well, a question is posed, and two facts are presented that are said to "shed light on" the answer. So the correct answer should answer the question suggested by the stimulus and conform to those two facts. Let's find a person who might write down a play that they don't have a copy of, and who might also be more familiar with one role than the rest.

Answer Explanation:
An actor playing a role would be familiar with their own lines, but not necessarily those of everyone else throughout the play. An actor might also no longer have a copy of a play they were in, or might only ever have had pages with their scenes/lines. This answer isn't a slam dunk, but it does align with both clues, so we should leave it for now and, ultimately, select it after reading the rest of the answers and eliminating them.

Key Takeaway:
This question is the only (or one of the very few) "most supported" questions on the test—they usually ask what Must Be True or is most strongly supported. So don't read too much into this question or review it too much, as there isn't much of a chance of you seeing one on your test!

Incorrect. A spectator may not have a copy of the play, but they would have seen each role performed equally, so there's no indication as to why this person would know one part better than the others.

Incorrect. If you got caught up on this answer because it brought up an actor, compare it to the correct answer (C). That answer specifically notes that the actor played a role in Hamlet, whereas this answer doesn't. As such, there's no reason to believe this actor would be better acquainted with one role than the others, and so this answer doesn't address the clues as (C) does.