PrepTest 125, Section 2, Question 11
Contrary to recent speculations, no hardware store will(29 more words not shown)
Which one of the following(9 more words not shown)
- ASome people have(12 more words not shown)
- BA hardware store(8 more words not shown)
- CIf somebody were(18 more words not shown)
- DIt would be(10 more words not shown)
- EThere has been(13 more words not shown)
Reading the argument
The rumor is wrong. That's the author's point, and the rest explains why.
You can imagine neighbors getting excited about a new store in the shopping plaza. The author says no hardware store is coming: if one were opening, there would already be publicity, and there isn't any. Once we accept those two pieces of evidence, the reasoning works. An upcoming store would require something that's missing.
What we’re looking for
We don't need to invent a flaw. The question asks for the conclusion, so follow the support. Why mention the lack of publicity? To establish that no hardware store will open. Why give the rule about publicity? To explain why its absence tells us that. Both reasons point back to the opening denial of the rumor.
Working the answers
- A
This tells us that people have speculated about a store opening. That's the background the author responds to. The author's point is that the speculation is mistaken, not merely that it exists.
- BCorrect
No hardware store will open in the shopping plaza. That is the claim supported by the publicity rule and the absence of publicity. The argument says, in effect, 'There isn't a store coming, and here's why.'
- C
This is the rule that makes the lack of publicity useful evidence. If an opening would already have been publicized, the absence of publicity supports the conclusion that there won't be an opening. C gives a reason for the conclusion, not the conclusion itself.
- D
Whether opening a store would be wise is a different question from whether someone will do it. The author could think a store would be an excellent investment and still conclude that none is opening. We aren't given a judgment about the wisdom of opening one.
- E
The lack of publicity is the observation used to reject the rumor. It supports the no-store conclusion when combined with the rule in C. An answer can accurately repeat something in the passage and still give the evidence rather than the point that evidence supports.
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