PrepTest 145, Section 4, Question 15
Outsiders in any field often believe that they(46 more words not shown)
Which one of the following(8 more words not shown)
- AThe more experience(17 more words not shown)
- BThose people who(9 more words not shown)
- CCreative solutions in(11 more words not shown)
- DThe experience required(14 more words not shown)
- EOutsiders should be(12 more words not shown)
Reading the argument
An outsider's fresh idea may be something insiders have already considered. “Why don't you start a podcast?” sounds simple until someone has to plan it, record it, edit it, and keep it going. The obstacle might be carrying the idea out, not a failure to think of it.
That helps explain the passage's emphasis on relevant experience. I would still be careful about assuming every outsider lacks experience: someone could arrive from elsewhere with knowledge that applies to the problem. But the question asks what the statements support, so let's follow the requirements they actually give us.
What we’re looking for
To solve a problem, a person must understand it. To gain that understanding, the person must have experience. Put those requirements together: a person who supplies a solution must have the relevant experience. Experience isn't a promise of a solution; it's something a successful solver needs.
Working the answers
- A
Needing experience doesn't mean each additional amount of experience makes someone more creative. The passage sets a requirement, not a sliding scale of improvement. Two people could both have enough relevant experience while the less experienced one thinks of the more creative solution.
- B
Experienced people could still overlook many solutions. The passage says experience is needed for the understanding required to solve a problem. It doesn't say experience guarantees that someone will notice every good idea, or even usually notice it.
- CCorrect
Anyone who provides a creative solution must understand the problem, and that understanding requires experience. So the solution comes from someone with the relevant experience. “Always” is strong, but the stated requirement is strong too: no one gets the necessary understanding without experience. We're following that rule, not assuming that strong wording is automatically wrong.
- D
The passage doesn't compare simple and complex fields or specify how much experience each one requires. Experience might be necessary in every field while the amount or kind needed varies substantially. D adds a uniformity the passage doesn't establish.
- E
Responsibility is broader than providing creative solutions. An outsider might be assigned administrative work that doesn't require solving the field's difficult problems. The passage also doesn't prescribe a particular training policy. Its claim about what problem-solving requires doesn't justify this rule for every responsibility.
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