PrepTest 103

Incorrect. Violence is noted as an "extreme form of aggression," guaranteeing that there are less extreme forms of aggression that don't fall into the category of violence. This answer is therefore supported, so we can rule it out.

Correct. Argument or Facts:
Facts

Question Type:
Bizarro Must Be True

Stimulus Summary:
Violence - extreme form of aggression; not the same as self-expression sufficient to survive
Humans - react to situations with violence; only because of nurture

Answer Anticipation:
First, let's talk about this question stem. It's a bit weird, and it would be easy to mistake it as a Cannot Be True question, but that's not the right approach. To see why, cut out the EXCEPT for a second—what question type is it? If it's asking about what can be logically inferred, then it's a Must Be True question. So four answers must be true, and one doesn't have to be true—it can be false. As such, we're looking for an answer that can't be true or just isn't something that must be true, and so we can't think about this as a Cannot Be True question. (In other words, the difference between a Bizarro MBT and a CBT question is that, in the former, an answer that might be true but isn't certain can be correct, whereas that would be wrong in the latter question type.)

With that said, we know that there are four answers that are 100% supported by the information in the stimulus. It can be hard enough to infer a single answer that Must Be True, so we shouldn't try to anticipate all four here. Instead, we should focus on the information in the stimulus that could support a Must Be True answer.

Here, there are a few. The stimulus compares violence, aggression, and self-expression sufficient for survival (they're distinct). It also describes a reaction, which is a causal statement. And the closing line is strong, talking about how violence is a reaction to unpleasant stimulus "only" because of societal conditioning.

With those noted, we should head straight to the answers to eliminate anything we can 100% justify based on these details.

Answer Explanation:
Violence "is distinct" from the "sufficient" self-expression for survival "under normal conditions." But note that this answer is about the self-expression "required" for survival. That's a shift from discussing sufficient self-expression to necessary self-expression, and so this answer is unsupported. It could be true, but since it doesn't have to be, it's correct.

Key Takeaway:
If you're uncertain what type of question an EXCEPT question is, throw the EXCEPT out for a second and figure out the question type. If it's a Must Be True question, then it's a Bizarro Must Be True. If it's a Can be True question (exceptionally rare by itself), then it's a Cannot Be True. There is a difference between them, so it's important to note which question is being asked. As we saw here, the correct answer wouldn't have been correct in a Cannot Be True question.

Incorrect. Humans respond to certain situations violently "only because" culture conditions them to do so, so some behaviors must be influenced by our cultures. This answer is supported by the stimulus and is thus incorrect.

Incorrect. "[U]nder normal circumstances" the self-expression "sufficient for survival" is distinct from violence. As such, in these circumstances, non-violent action is sufficient for survival, so this answer is supported.

Incorrect. Human beings react with violence "only because" of cultural conditioning. That's strong enough to support this answer establishing that violent behavior as being a product of culture, so this answer is supported.