PrepTest 143

Incorrect. The stimulus doesn't jump from discussing important factors to the most important factor, so this answer doesn't justify the conclusion. This answer is also weaker than the conclusion ("not necessarily"), and that's generally a sign of an incorrect answer in this question type.

Incorrect. It actually doesn't matter what information those ads contain, just that someone relying on them isn't serious about safety. The information might be correct and yet someone failing to verify it with independent agencies could still show they're not serious about safety.

Incorrect. While this answer is necessary for the conclusion to hold, it's not sufficient to prove it since it only raises the possibility that the person is lying, not the certainty the conclusion states.

Incorrect. Even if most consumers are aware of the bias in ads, they can still take safety seriously while relying on that information. People don't need to act rationally (sadly, we rarely do!).

Correct. Argument or Facts:
Argument

Valid or Flawed:
Flawed

Question Type:
Strengthen with Sufficient Premise

Stimulus Summary:
Survey results:

(1) 90% of car buyers said safety was important in their purchase decision
(2) Only half consulted objective sources
(3) The rest relied on ads

Conclusion Ð For those relying on ads, safety wasn't really important for them.

Answer Anticipation:
This conclusion calls into question what people reported in a survey—that safety was important to them. However, it doesn't call into question everyone who said that safety was important—just those who relied on ads instead of objective sources to make that determination.

Since Strengthen with Sufficient Premise questions ask us to justify the conclusion of the argument, we generally need an answer that establishes the premises guarantee the truth of the conclusion. Connecting those ideas we just discussed would lead us to an answer similar to:

If people don't consult objective sources or rely on ads for safety data, safety isn't really important to them.

Answer Explanation:
Safety important → Consult objective source for safety information. The contrapositive of this answer justifies the conclusion—those who didn't consult an objective source for safety information don't have safety as an important factor in their buying decision.

Key Takeaway:
For Strengthen with Sufficient Premise questions, the correct answer will generally be at least as strong as the conclusion, because otherwise it doesn't have enough strength to support that conclusion. Always feel free to eliminate or defer on answers that are weaker than the conclusion in this question type.