PrepTest 137

Correct. Argument or Facts:
Argument

Valid or Flawed:
Flawed

Question Type:
Strengthen with Necessary Premise

Stimulus Summary:
SciFi makes some people want to travel to other planets. They can't. An expectations/reality mismatch causes discontent, so SciFi causes discontent.

Answer Anticipation:
This argument has a causal conclusion, so we should look for a correlation/causation flaw. However, there is also a relevant causal premise, so that isn't the flaw present here.

Instead, we should focus on the overlapping terms and the fact that these statements do flow together. SciFi does create a desire—to travel through space—that can't be met. And when expectations aren't met, there's discontent. So where's the gap?

When you're not seeing the gap in the "flow" of an argument, you should dig in and carefully check to see if there are any subtle term shifts. And looking closely, we can see that there's a gap between the first two statements and the third. The first two establish that people have a desire that can't be met, but the third discusses when expectations aren't met. It's possible that SciFi creates a desire to travel through space, but not an expectation that one will be able to.

Since this argument features a term shift, the correct answer should bring up that connection—something about having a desire for space travel and the expectation of it.

Answer Explanation:
This answer discusses the two terms that the argument assumes are connected. If the desire for space travel hasn't created a gap between expectations and reality, then SciFi can't be said to have led to dissatisfaction or discontentment, so this connection is required for the argument to work.

Key Takeaway:
When an argument has a lot of overlapping statements that seem as if they can "chain" together—even when they're not conditional—follow the chain and read carefully to see any subtle term shifts.

Incorrect. This answer reverses the logic of the stimulus, starting with the conclusion and then moving backwards to the premises.

Incorrect. The argument doesn't require any other desire to not be met in order to work—just one, and just space travel, since that's the one that the argument mentions. If there are no other expectations set by SciFi, the failure to be able to travel through space could still spur discontentment.

Incorrect. While it's arguably necessary that some people have these unrealistic expectations, it's not necessary for most people to have those expectations for the argument to work.

Incorrect. This answer is a negation of the logic in the argument, so it's not necessary for the argument to work.