PrepTest 139, Section 4, Question 11
Plumb-Ace advertises that its plumbers are more qualified(55 more words not shown)
The reasoning in the argument(5 more words not shown)
- Atreats something that(22 more words not shown)
- Btakes for granted(11 more words not shown)
- Coverlooks the possibility(21 more words not shown)
- Dinfers that a(16 more words not shown)
- Epresumes that since(17 more words not shown)
Reading the argument
Maybe the written portion is “write your name,” and the practical portion is “now fix these broken sinks.” One could be easy while the other is demanding.
There are two different claims to keep straight here. Plumb-Ace's advertisement makes me wonder whether its difficult certification actually measures useful plumbing skills. Running a marathon could be difficult, too, without showing that someone can fix my sink. But the author's criticism takes a different route: the process isn't difficult because people easily pass its written portion.
What we’re looking for
That's where the example matters. Knowing that one part is easy doesn't settle the difficulty of the whole process. An easy first LSAT question wouldn't make the entire section easy; there are still many other questions to get through. For the flaw question, look for that jump from the written portion to the complete certification process.
Working the answers
- A
The author isn't identifying a requirement for a difficult process and then claiming that requirement alone guarantees difficulty. The author actually concludes that the process isn't difficult. The problem is extending the ease of one component to the whole process.
- B
The author never claims certification is required for a plumber to be qualified. Plumb-Ace advertises that its plumbers are more qualified, but even that doesn't say nobody without certification is qualified. B introduces a requirement that the argument doesn't make.
- C
Other firms could have easier processes, harder processes, or no process. That comparison doesn't settle whether Plumb-Ace's own certification is difficult. The author expressly leaves open which plumbers are more qualified and makes a claim about the difficulty of this process.
- D
The author does not conclude that Plumb-Ace's claim of greater qualification is false merely because its support is inadequate. The author says the plumbers “may or may not” be more qualified. The actual conclusion is about the certification's difficulty, reached by taking one easy portion to represent the whole.
- ECorrect
The written portion is the part; the full certification process is the whole; difficulty is the characteristic. The author assumes that because the written portion lacks difficulty, the entire process lacks it. A demanding practical component would show why that inference fails even if nearly everyone easily passes the written portion.
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