PrepTest 140, Section 1, Question 4
Consultant: Children taught using innovative new educational methods(59 more words not shown)
Which one of the following(6 more words not shown)
- Amost of the(20 more words not shown)
- Bcorporations that conduct(21 more words not shown)
- Cless than half(11 more words not shown)
- Dthe effects of(22 more words not shown)
- Eknowing how to(11 more words not shown)
Reading the argument
What do we want the training to accomplish?
The new methods help children think more creatively, but the old drill-based methods are better for memorizing lots of information. That's a trade-off. We can't choose between them just by calling one method innovative; we need to know which skill matters for the job.
Grodex gives us that answer. Most of its jobs call for creative thinking and don't require a strong memory. So the recommendation initially makes sense: use the approach that develops the skill these employees need, rather than prioritize a skill their jobs don't require.
What we’re looking for
The blank comes after “because,” so we need a reason supporting that recommendation. My first thought is that the new approach should produce the result Grodex cares about—more creative thinking. Let's see which answer supports that fit between the training and the job.
Working the answers
- A
Learning some creative thinking in high school doesn't tell us which method Grodex should use now. Employees might already have some of the skill and still benefit from further training, but A doesn't compare the methods or establish what either would do for these employees.
- B
This compares companies using innovative training with companies offering no training seminars. That doesn't isolate the value of the innovative method. Perhaps training of either kind helps. The consultant is choosing a method based on the skills Grodex needs, and B doesn't establish that the creativity benefit described will carry over to its employees.
- C
Attendance might affect how many employees benefit from a seminar. It doesn't tell us which teaching method would be appropriate for those who attend. Fewer than half attending is no reason to favor the innovative method over drills.
- DCorrect
Here's a connection the initial prediction left unstated: the evidence is about children, but the recommendation concerns adults. If teaching methods generally have very similar effects on the two groups, we have a reason to expect the creativity advantage to carry over to Grodex's employees. That makes the evidence about children useful support for the workplace recommendation.
- E
Grodex mostly doesn't require a strong memory, so compensating for weak memorization isn't the reason offered for choosing this training. More fundamentally, E doesn't tell us whether the innovative methods would make these adult employees more creative in the first place. D supplies that connection.
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