PrepTest 103

Incorrect. The stimulus notes that France didn't have access to Cumberland graphite and yet still managed to create pencils using powdered graphite in the 1790s. That suggests a separate source of graphite that worked for making pencils, even if it wasn't solid (which is never established as being a requirement for making pencils).

Correct. Argument or Facts:
Facts

Question Type:
Must Be True

Stimulus Summary:
Early pencil lead - Made from solid graphite from Cumberland (Britain)
Modern pencil lead - Made from powdered graphite, developed by France when they couldn't get Cumberland graphite

Answer Anticipation:
This stimulus presents a couple of elements to focus on in order to anticipate an answer, though a specific answer is hard to anticipate.

First, the stimulus compares early pencil lead and modern methods. Mainly, the former used solid graphite from Cumberland; the latter was developed in France and uses powdered graphite. Second, the stimulus provides a reason for the development of the French/powdered-graphite method—they were at war with Britain.

While we don't have anything specific we're on the lookout for, let's keep these details in mind as we read the answers.

Answer Explanation:
The stimulus notes that the reason France developed methods for creating lead from powdered graphite was that it lacked access to Cumberland solid graphite. If they had access to other solid graphite, then they could have used that without developing new methods. Since they instead developed new methods using powdered graphite, there's strong evidence they lacked an alternative source of solid graphite. While not certain, this answer has enough support that we'd leave it on a first pass and select it after eliminating all other answers.

Key Takeaway:
Most Strongly Supported Must Be True questions will occasionally have answers that are a little less certain than we're used to. These answers will usually feel a lot better after you eliminate all other answers—something you should be doing for all LR questions anyway!

Incorrect. There's no discussion of the cause of the war between France and Britain, so this answer is out of scope.

Incorrect. Even if we accept that the powdered-graphite method is "of great benefit" to society, we only have that single example, so this answer stating that government-sponsored research "frequently" has an outcome is too strong.

Incorrect. The stimulus notes that modern lead manufacturing methods can use powdered graphite, and that doesn't necessarily come from Cumberland, so this answer is unsupported.