PrepTest 101, Section 1, Question 14
In recent years, scholars have begun to use(443 more words not shown)
Which one of the following(8 more words not shown)
- AThe analysis of(14 more words not shown)
- BWhen the number(18 more words not shown)
- CScholars who are(14 more words not shown)
- DOutcomes analysis has(14 more words not shown)
- EGiven adequate information,(18 more words not shown)
Reading the passage
We've already predicted the main point: social science can help us understand these cases, but we need something more useful than simply counting wins and losses. Now we're looking for a version of that idea.
What we’re looking for
The ending gives us the comparison that matters. The two alternatives examine why cases turn out as they do. An answer that only repeats the opening criticism of traditional research will miss that central comparison.
Working the answers
- A
The opening does criticize a focus on cases that “may not be representative.” But that sets up the need for better research. This answer stops there instead of capturing the main comparison between outcomes analysis and the more informative alternatives.
- B
This reverses the argument. Examining relevant factors helps explain results; the writer doesn't say that doing so makes the conclusions less valid.
- C
Zirkel and Schoenfeld favor a technique the writer criticizes. That doesn't establish what critical scholars frequently do, and a general complaint about scholars isn't the point of comparing these methods.
- DCorrect
This is the comparison we predicted. Overall statistics are “of marginal assistance”; the alternatives connect case details to outcomes and help people assess their cases. That gives them greater predictive value than a simple win-loss count. The answer needn't repeat every detail about higher education to state the central claim.
- E
More useful predictions aren't predictions with considerable certainty. The writer recommends ways to assess cases, without claiming that enough information lets us reliably determine who will win.
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