PrepTest 154

Incorrect. There's no element of a bad outcome both in success and in failure here. Just a pretty clear choice: Zvi needs to practice before hitting the beach.

Incorrect. This is a nice trap answer since it does contain the idea that success could lead to a bad outcome, but it's not the same argument form. Here we have a pretty convincing claim that no matter what, if Joni self-publishes she won't reach most readers, so it doesn't really match "A win is a loss and a loss is a loss." It's more like "You can't win no matter what, and even a little bit of success would have a bad outcome."

Incorrect. Again, this doesn't match our paraphrase. It's just a clear argument against a particular course of action. To match the stimulus it would need to be something like "If his collection fetches a low price he'll be sorry he sold it, and if it fetches a high price he'll just blow the money on shoes anyway."

Correct. Argument or Facts:
Argument

Valid or Flawed:
Valid

Question Type:
Parallel Reasoning

Stimulus Summary:
The consultant thinks the mayor shouldn't try out her rival's idea. If she uses her rival's idea and it works, her rival gains points. If she uses her rival's idea and it fails, she'll look silly for trying such an out of the box plan.

Answer Anticipation:
Parallel questions are an opportunity to briefly paraphrase the argument in your head so as to shorten the time it takes to rule each answer choice in or out. In this case your paraphrase can be something like "outcome bad in success or in failure, so don't do it" or, more pithily, "You lose if you lose and you lose if you win." We're looking for another argument that can be described with the exact same paraphrase.

Answer Explanation:
Here we go! If the paper is accepted, Alvin may miss a deadline, and if it's rejected his confidence will be shattered. A win is a loss and a loss is a loss (This sounds like it's based on experience . . . whoever wrote this one definitely went to grad school).

Key Takeaway:
For Parallel Reasoning questions, make sure to prepare yourself before diving into the answer choices by clearly paraphrasing the argument in the stimulus. Get the specifics out of your paraphrase. For example, you don't want the words "Mayor" or "proposal" in this one. Focus on the form of the argument only.

Incorrect. Again, this is just an argument for a clear course of action. It's unambiguously positive for Elisa if she calls now. There's no element of a win being a loss.