PrepTest 120, Section 4, Question 19
Fishing columnist: When an independent research firm compared(65 more words not shown)
Each of the following describes(11 more words not shown)
- AThe argument overlooks(16 more words not shown)
- BThe argument overlooks(16 more words not shown)
- CThe argument overlooks(15 more words not shown)
- DThe argument overlooks(12 more words not shown)
- EThe argument overlooks(23 more words not shown)
Reading the argument
These results tell us what worked for expert anglers catching speckled trout in a pristine northern stream. Why should the same bait work best for everyone fishing for trout anywhere?
Maybe an ordinary angler can't use it as effectively. Maybe another bait works better in a southern pond. Maybe rainbow trout respond differently from speckled trout. And before we even get to those differences, what about a bait outside the five best sellers? The seventh-best-selling bait could outperform them all.
The study could be perfectly accurate about the people, fish, location, and products it tested while the broad recommendation still fails. That gives us several distinct objections.
What we’re looking for
This is a flaw EXCEPT question. Four answers identify a real gap. We need the one that doesn't describe a problem with moving from this particular study to the claim that Benton is best for anyone fishing for trout.
Working the answers
- A
This is a real problem. The study compares only five best-selling baits. A less popular bait could be even better. Winning this limited comparison doesn't establish first place among all available baits.
- B
This is a real problem too. The participants are top anglers, while the conclusion covers anyone fishing for trout. A bait that experts use successfully might be harder for ordinary anglers to use well. The argument doesn't bridge that difference.
- C
The test took place in a particular northern stream. It doesn't establish the same ranking in a lake, a pond, or some other location. The broader recommendation needs that further reach, so C describes another genuine gap.
- DCorrect
The study actually compares the five best sellers and finds that every angler did best with Benton. Merely pointing out that two best-selling brands could be equally effective doesn't identify the overgeneralization. Two other brands could tie with each other while both performed worse than Benton, and that would leave Benton's advantage untouched. If the proposed tie is instead with Benton under the tested conditions, we haven't been given evidence of it; the reported results favor Benton. D doesn't supply one of the untested differences that makes the universal recommendation questionable.
- E
Speckled trout are one variety of trout. A bait's success with that variety doesn't establish success with every other variety. The conclusion covers trout generally, so the change in the fish being targeted is another real concern.
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