PrepTest 146, Section 2, Question 2
Successful stand-up comedians are able to keep the(63 more words not shown)
Which one of the following(5 more words not shown)
- Astand-up comedians and(7 more words not shown)
- Bincorporating humor into(13 more words not shown)
- Cuniversity professors can(15 more words not shown)
- Dthere is no(14 more words not shown)
- Euniversity professors should(10 more words not shown)
Reading the argument
If humor helps comedians keep people listening and remembering, could professors use it too? The two jobs have something important in common: both can involve holding an audience's attention while making a point about a serious subject.
That doesn't make the jobs identical. A politician can also hold an audience's attention without becoming a stand-up comedian. What matters here is the technique: the passage specifically credits humor with helping comedians accomplish the things professors want their lectures to accomplish.
What we’re looking for
My first completion would be that professors should use humor in their lectures. Let's test that against the answers, keeping the reason for the recommendation in view. We're looking for a useful way to achieve the shared goals, not a claim that teaching and comedy are the same profession.
Working the answers
- A
Sharing goals doesn't establish having the same skills. A professor might know a great deal about a subject while struggling to make an audience laugh. A comedian might be excellent at holding attention without having the professor's subject knowledge. The passage suggests borrowing a technique, not equating the two skill sets.
- BCorrect
Humor can help professors accomplish their goals. That's actually more careful than my initial 'should use humor' prediction. The examples give us a reason to see humor as a useful technique; they don't establish an obligation to use it in every lecture. B carries the helpful connection across without making the recommendation stronger than the evidence supports.
- C
'Only if' makes humor required. What if a compelling demonstration or an engaging discussion holds students' attention instead? The passage identifies a way that works for comedians, not the only possible way anyone can make serious ideas interesting and memorable. C rules out alternatives we were never given a reason to rule out.
- D
This says a long lecture might hold an audience's attention. But it leaves out the point the argument has been developing: humor is a technique that helps achieve that goal. We need the conclusion connecting the comedians' success with a useful approach for professors, not just a statement that attentive audiences are possible.
- E
Some comedians make serious points through humor. That doesn't mean professors should treat even the most serious topics humorously. A joke might be useful in a physics lecture while being inappropriate in a discussion of a tragedy. B says humor can help; E turns that possibility into a sweeping recommendation about how to handle serious material.
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