PrepTest 117, Section 2, Question 7
Increases in the occurrence of hearing loss among(78 more words not shown)
Which one of the following,(9 more words not shown)
- ALoud music is(11 more words not shown)
- BNo other cause(17 more words not shown)
- CParents of teenagers(11 more words not shown)
- DTeenagers who now(18 more words not shown)
- EA few headphone(19 more words not shown)
Reading the argument
Teenagers buy their own headphones. Why does that mean they won't buy safer ones?
The parents want manufacturers to offer headphones that shut off when the volume becomes dangerous. The author thinks this won't significantly reduce teenagers' hearing loss because teenagers usually choose and buy the headphones themselves. Something is missing: how will they choose?
What if the popular models include the shutoff feature? Teenagers could select those models themselves and still get the protection. The proposal doesn't require all headphones to have the feature, so other choices may remain. But we need a reason to think teenagers will avoid the safer option, not merely a fact about who pays.
What we’re looking for
We're asked to support the author's skeptical conclusion. My prediction is that teenagers would prefer headphones that let them keep listening at dangerously loud levels. That would connect their control over the purchase to the claim that offering a safer option won't do much good.
Working the answers
- A
The argument already accepts that loud music through headphones contributes to hearing loss. Establishing that headphones are the most dangerous way to hear loud music doesn't tell us whether teenagers will choose models that prevent dangerous volume. We need information about the likely response to the proposal.
- B
Ranking this cause of hearing loss above other causes doesn't explain why the new headphones won't help. Even the largest cause could be reduced by an effective change. The missing connection concerns teenagers' choices, not whether something else is more damaging.
- C
Parents' own listening habits don't show which headphones teenagers will buy. Parents could avoid loud music entirely while their children either embrace or reject the new models. This doesn't connect teen purchasing decisions with the proposed safety feature.
- DCorrect
These teenagers already know the risks and choose dangerously loud listening anyway. That gives us a reason to think their own purchasing decisions may favor headphones that allow the listening they want, rather than headphones that cut it off.
D doesn't directly say that they will refuse every safer model. A teenager could knowingly take a risk and later choose protection. But deliberate loud listening despite awareness makes the author's concern more plausible. It's support for the prediction about their choices, not a guarantee that the recommendation will fail.
- E
The fact that some manufacturers already plan to sell the new models tells us something about availability. It doesn't tell us whether teenagers will buy them or whether their use will reduce hearing loss. The argument concerns the effect of offering these headphones, so repeating that they may be offered leaves the important question unanswered.
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