PrepTest 130, Section 1, Question 2
Psychologist: The best way to recall a certain(47 more words not shown)
The principle that underlies the(9 more words not shown)
- AOften, the best(37 more words not shown)
- BThe best way(49 more words not shown)
- CThe best way(40 more words not shown)
- DThe best way(31 more words not shown)
- EThe best way(33 more words not shown)
Reading the argument
Suppose I'm trying to remember the name of a neighbor from years ago. The psychologist recommends putting my mind on something else—perhaps working on an LSAT question—and letting the name come to me.
I can understand the proposed effect: the harder I strain to remember, the more elusive the name becomes. But is distraction really the best method? Calling my mother to ask who lived down the street, or looking up the name, might work better. Even if distraction works, that doesn't by itself prove that it works best.
The question asks which other argument relies on the same principle. So we need to carry over the psychologist's reasoning, whether or not we've been convinced by the strong recommendation. Direct effort can interfere with getting what you want; occupying yourself with something else is therefore recommended as the best approach.
What we’re looking for
Think of trying to get a wary cat to approach you. Chasing its attention may send it away, while leaving it alone may let it come to you. That's the kind of pattern we're looking for: trying harder at the desired result can make that very result less likely.
Working the answers
- A
Happiness is the desired result, but wealth and fame are different things that someone might pursue to get it. This argument says those things don't necessarily deliver happiness. It doesn't say that concentrating harder on being happy makes happiness less likely. The unhappy wealthy people challenge one proposed route to happiness; they don't illustrate direct effort backfiring in the psychologist's way.
- B
This keeps the writer working on the same task, one paragraph at a time. In the name example, that would be more like concentrating on the first letter instead of the whole name. The psychologist recommends occupying the mind with other things altogether. B also explains why thinking about the unfinished workload might discourage the writer, rather than claiming that greater effort to write makes writing less likely.
- C
Here success at new challenges is a way of recovering from an old mistake, and dwelling on that mistake interferes with the new work. The recommended confidence lets someone pursue a separate activity that can repair the situation. That differs from saying that trying harder to achieve the very result sought—remembering the name—makes that result less likely, so mental diversion is best.
- DCorrect
Falling asleep takes the place of remembering the name. Concentrating harder on that result makes it less likely, just as straining to remember makes the name less likely to come to mind. Counting sheep takes the place of occupying the mind with other things. Both arguments recommend diversion as the best approach because direct concentration can interfere with the desired result.
- E
This proposes a comparison: seeing greater hardship can make our own troubles seem more bearable. The psychologist doesn't recommend thinking about people with worse memories to make our difficulty seem smaller. The reason for distraction is that striving to remember can impede remembering, not that comparison changes how we view our problem.
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