PrepTest 135, Section 1, Question 22
Does the position of a car driver's seat(62 more words not shown)
Which one of the following(26 more words not shown)
- AIt is the(5 more words not shown)
- BIt is a(11 more words not shown)
- CIt is used(9 more words not shown)
- DIt describes evidence(5 more words not shown)
- EIt is a(11 more words not shown)
Reading the argument
If the seat leaves me uncomfortable and tired, I may have a harder time concentrating. If it gives me a poor view, I may miss something on the road. Those are sensible reasons to think seat position could affect safety.
The claim we're asked about supplies the first step in both paths: driving position affects comfort and visibility. The later statements explain why those two effects matter. Discomfort leads to fatigue and difficulty concentrating; better visibility improves awareness of road conditions and other vehicles.
What we’re looking for
To identify the statement's role, find the conclusion first. The author answers the opening question with “It probably does”—seat position probably has a significant impact on driving safety. The targeted claim helps support that answer. We don't need to manufacture an objection to recognize how the argument is working.
Working the answers
- A
The overall conclusion concerns driving safety. The targeted statement concerns comfort and visibility, which the author uses to explain the expected safety effect. It is one step in the support, not the final claim being supported.
- B
The argument accepts the claim. Nothing later shows that seat position fails to affect comfort or visibility. Instead, the later statements explain why those effects give us a reason to care about seat position.
- C
The reasoning does involve causes and effects, but this description gets the statement's role wrong. The passage doesn't start with an observed pattern of accidents and ask what caused it. It argues that seat position probably affects safety by describing two plausible paths. Having causal content isn't enough to make a statement an explanation of an observed phenomenon.
- D
The author never refutes the evidence about comfort and visibility. To refute it would be to show that it is wrong. Here, the argument relies on it throughout.
- ECorrect
The claim is a premise supporting the conclusion about safety. Seat position affects comfort and visibility; the following claims connect those effects to concentration and awareness. Together, those reasons support the judgment that seat position probably matters for safe driving.
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