PrepTest 135, Section 1, Question 2
Florist: Some people like to have green carnations(51 more words not shown)
Which one of the following(10 more words not shown)
- AIt is a(14 more words not shown)
- BFlowers that are(5 more words not shown)
- CThere are some(11 more words not shown)
- DWhite carnations are(8 more words not shown)
- EIt is very(5 more words not shown)
Reading the argument
We don't have to grow green flowers if we can turn white ones green. That is the florist's practical solution: people want green carnations, and inexpensive white carnations are easy to dye.
Some of the reasoning invites questions. Does being rare necessarily make a flower difficult to breed? Perhaps a rare variety would grow readily once we had its seeds. And if florists stock up too early, will the flowers still be fresh on St. Patrick's Day? Those questions could matter to evaluating the advice.
But we're asked what the advice is. The florist wants shops to stock up on white carnations before the holiday. The discussion of breeding difficulty explains why buying naturally green ones may be a poor option; the low price and easy dyeing explain why white ones offer a useful alternative.
What we’re looking for
Notice that “Thus” introduces a claim about breeding, but the argument keeps going. That claim helps support the later recommendation. To find the overall conclusion, follow what the reasons are meant to persuade florists to do.
Working the answers
- ACorrect
Stock up on white carnations before St. Patrick's Day. This is the recommendation the florist supports with the demand for green carnations, the difficulty of breeding them, and the advantages of dyeing white ones.
- B
The rarity of naturally green flowers is a starting reason. It supports the claim that breeding green carnations is difficult, which in turn helps explain the proposed alternative. The florist isn't mainly trying to establish that green flowers are rare.
- C
This establishes demand: some customers want green carnations. That gives florists a reason to find a way to supply them. It doesn't tell us which way the florist recommends.
- D
These are two reasons to choose white carnations. They are inexpensive, and turning them green is easy. The overall conclusion uses those advantages to recommend stocking up; D stops at the advantages themselves.
- E
This is a conclusion within the argument, but it isn't the overall conclusion. The rarity of green flowers is offered as support for breeding difficulty. Then that difficulty becomes a reason for the recommendation to buy white carnations instead. A claim can be supported by an earlier statement and still serve as support for a later one.
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