PrepTest 149

Correct. Argument or Facts:
Argument/Argument

Valid or Flawed:
Flawed/Flawed

Question Type:
Point at Issue

Stimulus Summary:
R: People lie on surveys, so your numbers are wrong, and your survey is off.

H: Sure, but since everyone lies, the relative numbers are probably pretty close to right.

Answer Anticipation:
Rita's argument is much simpler than Hiro's, so let's work through what she says to determine where the overlap and disagreement is.

She starts by claiming that Hiro's survey results are misleading. Hiro, on the other hand, believes that they're "pretty close to being accurate." That's a clear point of disagreement between them.

From there, Rita states that many people lie on surveys, a point which Hiro concedes, so that's a point of agreement. She also states that Hiro's numbers are serious underestimates—another point which Hiro concedes, so another point of agreement.

With those two points of agreement, it's important to note the subtlety of where they disagree. While they disagree on the conclusion, they agree on most premises, so how do they end up at different places? Rita believes that the numbers being lies means that the results are bad, whereas Hiro brings up a different consideration—the relative numbers. Sure, the numbers are lower than they should be, but everyone lies on these surveys, so the effect on each group should be about the same, and we can measure those relative differences to draw conclusions.

That may not play into the correct answer on a question 9, but it's generally good to find out where—exactly—the point at issue is when there's a question where two people agree on premises but disagree on the conclusion.

Answer Explanation:
This is Rita's conclusion, stated in her opening sentence. Hiro believes that if you view the relative numbers, you can draw valid conclusions. They therefore disagree over whether there's a non-misleading manner of looking at the results, so this is the correct answer.

Key Takeaway:
When two speakers agree on premises but disagree on the conclusion, you should figure out what is allowing them to reach divergent conclusions on the same premises. It won't always be relevant—for example, here, the answer was just the conclusion—but it can be important to know in these questions, and it can often highlight potential trap answers.

Incorrect. Both speakers note that lying on a survey of this type is common, so this is a point of agreement.

Incorrect. Neither speaker discusses other ways to get results in the same area as the survey, so this answer is out of scope.

Incorrect. Both speakers agree that the numbers are underestimates. While Hiro doesn't qualify his statement with the word "serious," he certainly doesn't say anything that would lead one to be able to conclude that he disagrees that the numbers seriously underestimate what he wants to measure, which would be necessary for this answer to be correct.

Incorrect. Neither speaker discusses the sample size. At most, Hiro implies he believes it was large enough, but Rita doesn't discuss it at all.