PrepTest 128, Section 2, Question 2
Book collector: The demand for out-of-print books is(27 more words not shown)
The book collector's statements, if(9 more words not shown)
- ABook collectors are(15 more words not shown)
- BFewer people try(17 more words not shown)
- CThe amount of(13 more words not shown)
- DThe Internet's search(9 more words not shown)
- EOnly people who(9 more words not shown)
Reading the argument
An out-of-print book is one that is no longer being printed. Suppose I want an obscure Mark Twain title. Before online searching, I might have had to visit one bookstore after another and ask whether anyone had a copy. That could take a lot of work even if I knew exactly which book I wanted.
Now imagine searching for that same title online and locating a seller. The book hasn't changed; finding it has become easier. The collector says that this change has helped increase demand for out-of-print books. I can follow that explanation: people may pursue books they previously would have had a much harder time obtaining.
What we’re looking for
What do those statements most strongly support? Broadly, technology can affect what people seek to buy. But we should look for an answer tied to the actual connection given here: easier searching has helped increase demand. Each answer still needs support from the collector's statements.
Working the answers
- A
Finding a copy of a book isn't the same as discovering that the title exists. In the Mark Twain example, I already knew which book I wanted; the problem was locating a copy. The passage supports easier locating, but it doesn't tell us that collectors are learning of previously unknown titles.
- B
The comparison is between demand for out-of-print books now and demand for those books before. We aren't comparing the number of people seeking out-of-print books with the number seeking books still in print. The latter group could be much larger or much smaller.
- CCorrect
The collector explicitly connects increased demand with greater ease of finding the books. That supports the general statement that ease of finding out-of-print books affects demand for them. C ties the given facts together without adding a new comparison or a numerical threshold.
- D
How much has searching improved? Perhaps it now locates 10 percent of out-of-print books; perhaps it locates 80 percent. Either could be an improvement on what was possible before. 'Most' requires more than half, and the passage gives no success rate that establishes that threshold.
- E
Easier doesn't mean the only possible way. Someone without Internet access could still find a copy by visiting stores, contacting booksellers, or using another offline method. The old search could be inconvenient and still work. The passage says the Internet makes locating books easier, not that it is required.
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