PrepTest 135, Section 1, Question 25
Interior decorator: All coffeehouses and restaurants are public(27 more words not shown)
If all of the interior(13 more words not shown)
- AAny restaurant that(6 more words not shown)
- BMost public places(6 more words not shown)
- CMost coffeehouses that(5 more words not shown)
- DAny well-designed coffeehouse(6 more words not shown)
- EAny coffeehouse that(9 more words not shown)
Reading the argument
We have several rules, but no particular coffeehouse whose design or comfort we know. Don't turn “all coffeehouses are public places” into “all coffeehouses are well designed.” Those are different claims.
The rules tell us three things about public places. Most well-designed ones have artwork. An uncomfortable one is not well designed. A comfortable one has a spacious interior. The question asks what must follow, so we'll need to connect the rules carefully rather than assume they work in either direction.
What we’re looking for
The artwork rule also says “most,” not “all.” That leaves room for exceptions. As we test the choices, keep track of which group the rule describes and what it actually guarantees about that group.
Working the answers
- A
The rule goes from comfort to spaciousness: every comfortable public place is spacious. It doesn't promise comfort merely because a room is spacious. A restaurant could have a huge interior and uncomfortable seating without violating anything we're told.
- B
Most well-designed public places have artwork. That doesn't tell us what proportion of all places with artwork are well designed. There could be many poorly designed places with paintings on the walls. Starting with the artwork group changes the group whose proportion we're given.
- C
The majority rule applies to all well-designed public places, not separately to each kind of public place. Coffeehouses could be a small subgroup entirely within the exceptions.
For example, suppose 100 public places are well designed and 80 feature artwork. All ten well-designed coffeehouses could be among the remaining 20. Most well-designed public places would have artwork, but none of the well-designed coffeehouses would. So C is not guaranteed.
- DCorrect
Start with a well-designed coffeehouse or restaurant. It is a public place. Could it be uncomfortable? No: the rule says an uncomfortable public place is not well designed, which would conflict with our starting description. So it must be comfortable.
Now apply the next rule: every comfortable public place has a spacious interior. That gives us the promised result. The chain is well designed, therefore not uncomfortable, therefore comfortable, therefore spacious. The artwork rule isn't needed for this conclusion.
- E
A spacious coffeehouse needn't be well designed. Spaciousness by itself tells us neither that it is comfortable nor that it meets the design standard. Think again of a large room with uncomfortable seating. We know spaciousness is required for comfort, but it isn't a guarantee of comfort or good design.
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