PrepTest 129, Section 3, Question 1
Educators studied the performance of 200 students in(60 more words not shown)
Which one of the following,(9 more words not shown)
- AThe students compensated(24 more words not shown)
- BThe students who(10 more words not shown)
- CBetter students tend(12 more words not shown)
- DA larger percentage(15 more words not shown)
- EAlthough having a(28 more words not shown)
Reading the argument
Having a job leaves less time for school. Wouldn't we expect the employed students to have a harder time getting good grades?
Maybe that expectation misses something. Students who have to fit work into their schedules might plan their weeks more carefully and use their remaining time well. And the limited social life could help: spending less time going out leaves more time available for studying. Those are possible explanations, not facts the study has established.
Compare the two groups carefully. The strongest students had jobs and limited social lives; the weakest had no jobs and active social lives. Both groups took early morning history classes. Getting up early might sound like a sign of being organized, but it cannot distinguish these groups when both groups did it.
What we’re looking for
We need to explain the difference in performance. I'd look for something about employment or social activity that affects how much useful studying gets done. We don't need a separate explanation of every feature in the description. A fact about one of the differences could explain the grades.
Working the answers
- ACorrect
The employed students made up the study time their jobs cost them. For example, someone who missed an afternoon of studying because of work could study later in the week instead. Employment therefore did not leave that student with the study-time deficit we initially worried about.
The students did not do the same after socializing. An evening out could replace an evening of study without that study ever happening later. This connects both differences to the outcome: the employed students kept up their studying, while the socially active students lost study time. That makes the difference in performance understandable.
- B
Working late does not explain better performance in an early morning class. If anything, imagining a student finishing a late shift and then struggling to stay awake in class makes the good performance more surprising. B also concerns only the students with full-time jobs, not the entire employed group.
- C
Early classes are shared by the strongest and weakest students. Even if better students generally choose those classes, that tendency does not explain why these two groups, both attending early classes, performed differently.
- D
We are comparing students with jobs to students without jobs. D compares part-time employment with full-time employment among prospective history majors. It neither connects employment to performance nor explains the difference in the study.
- E
The stress relief could help, but the answer also says full-time work can distract students from studying. It leaves us with competing effects and no explanation of why the employed students, including those with full-time jobs, came out ahead. A resolves the study-time issue directly.
More Paradox questions
Learn the LSAT our way
Our platform drills Paradox questions at your level and adjusts as you improve.