PrepTest 124, Section 1, Question 18
Salesperson: When a salesperson is successful, it is(53 more words not shown)
The reasoning in the salesperson's(16 more words not shown)
- Asalespeople who have(14 more words not shown)
- Bsome salespeople require(12 more words not shown)
- Ca salesperson who(14 more words not shown)
- Dit takes longer(12 more words not shown)
- Efew salespeople can(9 more words not shown)
Reading the argument
Why must it take three years? Someone might build a strong client base much faster.
At first, the opening claim sounds like a rule we're being given. But “This is because” shows that the rest of the passage is supposed to support it. The three-year minimum is a conclusion we can question.
We are told that success requires a strong client base. We are also told that spending at least three years developing a client base can eventually lead to a comfortable living. That supplies one route to eventual success. It doesn't tell us that every successful salesperson had to follow that route.
Imagine a salesperson attracting many new customers after a business-related video goes viral. Perhaps that person builds a strong client base in far less than three years. The studies about people who spend three years don't rule out that possibility.
What we’re looking for
For the flaw question, that's what I want: the possibility of getting the needed client base sooner. A way that works isn't automatically a way everyone must take.
Working the answers
- A
The studies say people can eventually make a comfortable living after spending three years developing a base. They don't promise success the instant the third year ends. More importantly, the conclusion says success requires at least three years, not that three years immediately guarantees success. Someone still unsuccessful at that point doesn't challenge the claimed minimum.
- BCorrect
Some salespeople might develop a strong client base in fewer than three years. That opens a route to success sooner than the author allows. The argument establishes the need for the client base but doesn't establish that acquiring it must take at least three years. B identifies the missing possibility directly.
- C
We want someone who may succeed without the three years. This says someone without the three years may fail. That is compatible with the author's claim that the time is required. A possible failure doesn't expose the overlooked possibility of quicker success.
- D
Taking longer than three years would not disprove a minimum of three years. It also doesn't show the faster route our objection needs. Be precise about the studies: they say three years of development can lead to eventual success, not that everyone must have a complete client base by the third anniversary.
- E
Affording years of client development is a practical concern, but it doesn't tell us whether successful salespeople can get there faster. Even if very few people could afford the route, that would not establish or refute the author's claim that success requires at least three years. B addresses the actual time requirement.
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