PrepTest 153

Incorrect. Even if this was true, it doesn't support the conclusion of the column that more wealth makes less happiness over time. This would only apply to the extremely wealthy, making it too narrow to strengthen the columnist's argument.

Correct. Argument or Facts:
Argument

Valid or Flawed:
Flawed

Question Type:
Strengthen

Stimulus Summary:
A columnist says people get less happy as they become more wealthy. That's because even though money can help to satisfy one's desires, gaining more money means gaining a greater number of desires. You'll never be able to fulfill them all.

Answer Anticipation:
There's a big equivocation here. The conclusion is all about happiness, but the premises are all about fulfilling desires. Are those two terms really the same thing? If an answer choice told us they were, this argument would be a lot stronger. Right now, it's got a fatal flaw: new term in the conclusion. Tsk, columnist.

Answer Explanation:
Perfect! This fixes the fallacy of equivocation in the stimulus. Happiness is about fulfilling as many desires as possible.

Key Takeaway:
Strengthen questions pretty much fall into two buckets: causal conclusions and fallacious arguments. This is the latter. If there's a fallacy in your stimulus, your correct strengthen answer choice should render that fallacy null and void. Equivocation is easy to neutralize: just add a premise that says "apples really ARE oranges."

Incorrect. This weakens the argument. If fulfilling desires doesn't make you happier, we're left with no evidence for the columnist's conclusion at all.

Incorrect. Although probably true in the real world, this doesn't affect the columnist's argument at all. We're talking about general happiness and how it correlates (or doesn't) with wealth, not about whether or not wealthy people want to be wealthy.

Incorrect. "Not the only" is too weak. Even if there's another factor, satisfying desires could be a major factor in happiness.