PrepTest 106, Section 3, Question 10
Laura: Harold is obviously lonely.(59 more words not shown)
Ralph responds to Laura by(3 more words not shown)
- Asomething needed for(9 more words not shown)
- Bwhat is appropriate(10 more words not shown)
- Cwhat is logically(6 more words not shown)
- Dvarious alternative solutions(6 more words not shown)
- Ea proposed solution(8 more words not shown)
Reading the argument
Moving into town doesn't guarantee Harold will stop being lonely. He could stay in his new house and hardly speak to anyone. People would be nearby, but that isn't the same as spending time with them.
I might also ask whether Harold wants to leave the cabin. Perhaps he likes it or has important memories there. Those considerations could matter to the recommendation, but Ralph focuses on a more direct problem with Laura's promised result.
What we’re looking for
Ralph points to lonely people already living in towns and says genuine interaction is needed too. Selling the cabin and changing Harold's address wouldn't, by itself, establish that he will form those connections. For the response question, I'd look for the point that Laura's solution may leave a necessary part of avoiding loneliness unmet.
Working the answers
- ACorrect
The thing needed is proximity to other people. Ralph accepts that as part of what is required but adds genuine interaction. Laura treats having people nearby as though it guarantees the result of no longer being lonely.
Think about the next step after the move. Harold might need to join a club or spend time with neighbors, rather than simply occupy a house near them. That illustrates Ralph's distinction: supplying one required ingredient doesn't establish that everything needed for the result is present.
- B
This would describe taking a solution that works in one case and applying it to every case. Laura hasn't cited a successful case and generalized from it, and Ralph doesn't frame the objection that way. He identifies an ingredient missing from Laura's proposed solution for Harold.
- C
Ralph doesn't contrast something logically certain with something that is hard to see intuitively. He gives a concrete reason the proposed move might fail: living near others doesn't necessarily provide the interaction Harold needs. C doesn't describe that response.
- D
Ralph isn't offering several different solutions to loneliness. If he suggested getting a pet while staying at the cabin, for example, he would be proposing another possible route. Instead, he explains why moving into town is not enough on its own. Adding a missing requirement to Laura's plan isn't the same as listing alternative plans.
- E
A plan can fail to solve a problem without making it worse. Ralph says Harold could remain lonely in town unless he genuinely interacts with people. He doesn't claim Harold will become lonelier after the move. E goes beyond the criticism Ralph makes.
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