PrepTest 112, Section 4, Question 12
The television show Henry was not widely watched(76 more words not shown)
Which one of the following,(6 more words not shown)
- AHenry has been(18 more words not shown)
- BThe show that(17 more words not shown)
- CThe show that(17 more words not shown)
- DAfter its recent(18 more words not shown)
- EThat's Life was(10 more words not shown)
Reading the argument
People might simply keep watching after their favorite show ends. I can see why following That's Life could give Henry a large audience. Some viewers might discover they like Henry; others might stay because changing the channel takes more effort than sitting there.
But the time slot isn't the only possible explanation for the increase. What if Henry added a popular actor around the same time? That could draw viewers independently of the schedule change. It's a possibility to check, not a fact about the show.
The Wednesday decline raises another question. Maybe people who like Henry also like a different show that airs at the same time on Wednesdays. Choosing the other show wouldn't mean they never liked Henry. They might simply prefer the competitor when forced to choose.
What we’re looking for
We're asked to strengthen the conclusion that Henry benefited from following That's Life rather than from being especially liked. I'd look for evidence against those alternatives, such as an absence of strong Wednesday competition, or for evidence that viewers were mainly staying with the channel. The answer needs to support the scheduling explanation, not merely describe another change in the audience.
Working the answers
- A
The number of years the shows have existed doesn't establish why Henry gained or lost viewers. An older show could suddenly become popular because of a new time slot, new cast, better episodes, or another change. A gives their ages without separating those explanations.
- B
A small audience for the replacement doesn't support the claim that following That's Life explains Henry's large audience. It could make us wonder whether Henry had something the replacement lacks. We also don't know the replacement's earlier audience, so 'low' doesn't itself tell us whether the slot increased it. Either way, B doesn't give the positive evidence for the slot that we're seeking.
- CCorrect
Another show gained viewers after moving immediately after That's Life. Its audience doubled. That makes the time slot a more convincing explanation for Henry's earlier success: the apparent benefit shows up with different programming too.
This doesn't prove every show would benefit or that nobody especially liked Henry. It provides a comparison supporting the idea that the popular lead-in helped create the audience, rather than treating Henry's own appeal as the whole explanation.
- D
This is the competing-show objection we considered while reading. Henry now has to compete with an extremely popular show. Its audience could shrink because people prefer that alternative on Wednesdays, even if they like Henry. That weakens the attempt to use the decline as evidence that people didn't especially like it; it doesn't strengthen it.
- E
That's Life's audience matters when evaluating a possible lead-in effect, so the other show's popularity isn't automatically irrelevant. But E describes its first year. It doesn't establish how many people watched it during the period when Henry followed it, or why Henry's audience changed with the move. We need evidence tied to the scheduling comparison at issue.
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