PrepTest 138

Incorrect. While the discussion of initial contact with a student is analogous, there's no relevant "match" in painting to being undemanding, so this answer is incorrect.

Incorrect. Tempting! However, the stimulus doesn't note that a painting that has a properly prepared surface and good application of a primer is likely to be a successful one. Rather, it suggests that not having those is likely to lead to an unsuccessful painting—more or less the negation.

Incorrect. Teaching and the methods used for it don't have an analogous "layering" the way that learning does. The stimulus, in discussing education, is talking about learning, not teaching.

Incorrect. There's no discussion of different "layers" of painting being more or less difficult, just more or less important.

Correct. Argument or Facts:
Facts

Question Type:
Argument Completion

Stimulus Summary:
Painting - The sequential application of layers, each of which relies on the correct application of earlier ones, making the earliest steps the most important.
Education - It's like painting.

Answer Anticipation:
This argument is completely reliant on the analogy between painting and education. When there's an analogy presented, we need to ensure that we understand how the aspects of each element in the analogy line up.

Here, however, there's no aspect of education brought up. Instead, it goes into great depth about painting, saying that education is like the craft of painting in one key respect.

That key respect is that the sequential layering of paint relies on the correct application of the earlier layers. If we work through the analogy, we would have to say that each "layer" of education (content that builds on other content, or grade levels) builds on the earlier ones. As the stimulus then leads into the conclusion by noting that the earliest layers of painting are the most important, it's likely that the correct argument completion will note that the earliest "layers" of education are, similarly, the most important.

Answer Explanation:
This answer establishes that the earliest "layer" of education is the most important, and all the other "layers" depend on it. That matches up with the analogy of painting, where the preparation of the canvas and the initial coat are the most important.

Key Takeaway:
When an argument relies on an analogy, make sure you understand how the different aspects of each element in the analogy line up. When the argument leaves it wide open by only addressing one side of the analogy, make sure you understand why the author thinks the situations are analogous—how could the aspects of the element that is discussed map onto the one that isn't?