PrepTest 142, Section 2, Question 11
Psychologists observing a shopping mall parking lot found(72 more words not shown)
Which one of the following,(6 more words not shown)
- AThe more pressure(24 more words not shown)
- BThe amount of(31 more words not shown)
- CIt is considerably(26 more words not shown)
- DParking spaces in(25 more words not shown)
- EAlmost any driver(26 more words not shown)
Reading the argument
Maybe the driver is nervous about hitting the waiting car. Why jump to possessiveness?
The timing differences are real evidence to explain: 32 seconds with nobody waiting, 39 with a car quietly waiting, and 51 when that driver honks. Before even reaching the conclusion, I might wonder whether some drivers honk because the departing car is already taking a long time. The honk doesn't automatically explain the delay just because they occur together.
Then the psychologists offer a specific explanation: drivers want to hold onto their spaces, especially when someone else wants them. That's possible, but a driver could also feel watched, rushed, or worried about making a mistake. Taking longer needn't mean wanting to keep the space.
What we’re looking for
The weakener should give us a reason to favor another explanation. I'd look for evidence that pressure or nervousness makes these maneuvers harder, even for a driver who is perfectly happy to give up the spot.
Working the answers
- ACorrect
Pressure slows most drivers' ability to perform a maneuver. A waiting car creates pressure, and an impatient honk can intensify it. That gives us an alternative account of both increases in departure time without needing the driver to feel possessive. We don't have to prove possessiveness never occurs; showing a plausible different explanation weakens the inference that possessiveness explains this pattern.
- B
Entering a space is a different situation from leaving one. Knowing that waiting and honking don't noticeably change entry times doesn't establish why they change departure times. We would need a connection showing that the two maneuvers should respond alike before using this as evidence against the proposed explanation.
- C
This is tempting. A nearby car making it physically harder to get out could explain why leaving takes longer with someone waiting than with nobody waiting. But the waiting car is present in both the quiet and honking cases. C doesn't explain that further jump from 39 to 51 seconds. A's pressure explanation can account for the full progression.
- D
The frequency with which people wait at a mall doesn't explain the observed differences when they do wait. A parking lot could be unusual in how often this happens while still allowing us to ask why departures take longer under different conditions. D leaves the proposed possessiveness explanation unchallenged.
- E
Anger could coexist with possessiveness: a driver might be angry that someone is demanding the space. Also, “influence” doesn't say whether anger lengthens or shortens departure time, and it doesn't address the quiet waiting case. A provides a clearer alternative explanation for the whole pattern.
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