PrepTest 118, Section 1, Question 9
The use of phrases like "as so-and-so said"(28 more words not shown)
Which one of the following(13 more words not shown)
- AFatima was a(43 more words not shown)
- BHarold's friends were(47 more words not shown)
- CThe best model(55 more words not shown)
- DSharon loved cats,(27 more words not shown)
- ERaoul spent a(38 more words not shown)
Reading the argument
The saying is supposed to fit what just happened. If the event points the other way, introducing the saying as though we've just illustrated it is inappropriate.
For example, imagine warning against doing things out of order by saying, “Don't put the cart before the horse.” If we've just watched someone do things out of order and succeed because of it, that event wouldn't illustrate the warning. It would appear to count against it.
What we’re looking for
That's what the question asks us to find. We don't need to judge whether every saying is wise or whether every example proves it. Compare the story with the particular saying attached to it: does the story appear to contradict what the quotation says?
Working the answers
- A
Fatima knows enough mathematics to appreciate how much remains unsolved. That fits a saying about knowledge revealing the limits of your knowledge. Her discomfort with that realization doesn't turn her experience into a counterexample. The quote doesn't promise that recognizing your ignorance will feel pleasant.
- B
Harold has repeatedly asked others to pay because he left his wallet at home. The quotation presents selfish behavior as predictable. The repeated pattern can fit that idea; it doesn't give us a clear case of selflessness contradicting it. His friends being surprised doesn't erase the pattern. We also needn't prove he is selfish rather than forgetful to see that the story isn't the clear contradiction we're seeking.
- C
Roger values saving money enough that buying the best vacuum would make him unhappy. That's compatible with a saying that treats saving money as a gain. Wanting high quality doesn't mean he would actually spend the money. The story preserves his concern about saving instead of showing him rejecting it.
- D
The husband sometimes joins Sharon at cat shows despite his allergy. That fits the idea of participating in a loved one's interests. An allergy isn't the same as a refusal to share those interests. If he flatly refused to take any part, we'd have a different story; here he makes the effort.
- ECorrect
The trip did not end well. Raoul broke his leg and spent two weeks in the hospital. The beginning was enjoyable, but the saying specifically concerns a good ending. Attaching “All's well that ends well” to this bad ending treats the story as illustrating something it appears to contradict.
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