PrepTest 122, Section 4, Question 6
The simultaneous and apparently independent development in several(66 more words not shown)
The reasoning in the argument(5 more words not shown)
- Afails to show(11 more words not shown)
- Bfails to consider(9 more words not shown)
- Cconfuses the expression(8 more words not shown)
- Dfails to demonstrate(14 more words not shown)
- Efails to explain(10 more words not shown)
Reading the argument
Horses are supposed to be gentle. Why are these half-horse, half-human creatures so violent? Maybe the human half has something to do with it. Let's see how the author explains the difference.
The author says many cultures use myths to express unconscious thoughts, then concludes that these creatures reveal an unconscious fear of horses. That's a lot to get from one general fact about myths. Is expressing unconscious thoughts the only thing a myth can do? A story could serve another purpose. And even if it expresses an unconscious thought, why must that thought be fear?
What we’re looking for
For the flaw question, those are the gaps I'd expect an answer to address: the author hasn't shown that this particular myth expresses an unconscious thought, much less the particular fear identified in the conclusion. We need a problem with that explanation, rather than a reason the creatures or the horses really might be frightening.
Working the answers
- ACorrect
Here's another gap: a creature that's half horse isn't simply a horse. The author needs to show that the creature represents the horse in people's minds before treating its portrayal as evidence of their feelings about horses. People might be frightened by the imaginary combination while continuing to regard ordinary horses as gentle. That would fit the descriptions without establishing an unconscious fear of horses. This isn't quite our initial prediction, but it exposes a real missing connection.
- B
Whether fear of horses would be reasonable is a different question. A person could have a good reason to fear a horse without expressing that fear through this myth. We need evidence about what the myth reflects, not a defense of a fear the author hasn't established.
- C
Expressing a thought means giving it some form; suppressing it means holding it back. The author discusses the first and never treats it as the second. Our concern is which thought the myth expresses, if any.
- D
The passage describes the myths as apparently independent, but their exact origin doesn't settle what they represent. Even if every culture invented its own version, we would still need to connect the violent creatures with an unconscious fear of horses. Proving independent invention would leave that gap intact.
- E
This sounds close to our question about other uses of myth, but it asks something different. We asked whether this myth serves that function at all. E asks why people use myths to express unconscious thoughts. We could understand the reason perfectly and still have no basis for deciding that this particular creature reflects fear of horses. The missing explanation of why people use myths isn't what makes this conclusion fail.
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