PrepTest 121, Section 4, Question 8
This stamp is probably highly valuable, since it(37 more words not shown)
The conclusion is properly inferred(8 more words not shown)
- AThe older a(7 more words not shown)
- BPrinting errors are(7 more words not shown)
- CMost stamps with(9 more words not shown)
- DRarity and age(8 more words not shown)
- EEven old and(12 more words not shown)
Reading the argument
What if the printer made the same mistake on a million stamps?
A printing error sounds unusual, but an error isn't automatically rare. We need to know how many stamps have it before using the mistake as a reason to call this one highly valuable. At first, we might also wonder whether the error simply ruined the stamp's appearance. The author addresses its condition by calling it a fine specimen, so let's work with that description.
What we’re looking for
We have good condition and old age. The other important factor is rarity, and that's the missing piece. The question asks for an assumption that makes the conclusion follow. Connect the printing error to rarity: tell us that this kind of error occurs on only a few stamps. Then the feature cited as evidence actually gives us the remaining reason for thinking this old, well-preserved stamp is valuable.
Working the answers
- A
This reinforces the role of age, but age wasn't the unexplained step. The argument specifically treats the printing error as evidence of value, and A never tells us whether that error is rare. Also, being worth more than a younger stamp isn't necessarily being highly valuable.
- BCorrect
If printing errors occur on only a few individual stamps, the error makes this specimen rare. Combined with its good condition and age, that supplies the missing factor in the author's explanation of its likely high value. We no longer have to wonder whether millions of stamps share the supposedly special mistake.
- C
Who owns stamps with printing errors doesn't tell us how many such stamps exist. Collectors could own most of a huge supply. The argument concerns rarity, not whether the stamp is currently in a collector's hands or available for sale. C doesn't supply the missing connection.
- D
We don't need to decide whether rarity and age contribute equally. We need to establish that this stamp has the rarity the argument relies on. Assigning equal importance to the two factors leaves that basic factual gap untouched.
- E
This concerns stamps in poor condition. Our stamp is described as a fine specimen, so the stated concern has already been set aside. A rule explaining why damaged old stamps lack value doesn't show that this particular printing error is rare.
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