PrepTest 150, Section 4, Question 16
This passage is based on an article written(452 more words not shown)
According to the passage, dowsing's(7 more words not shown)
- AA few dowsers(6 more words not shown)
- BDowsing techniques are(4 more words not shown)
- CSuccessful dowsers are(10 more words not shown)
- DSuccessful dowsers may(9 more words not shown)
- EEach dowsing technique(4 more words not shown)
Reading the passage
The skeptics aren't saying that no dowser has ever succeeded. They concede that a few have shown substantial, consistent success, then contrast that with inconsistent results for dowsers generally. That concession is easy to overlook if we assume a critic must reject everything about the practice.
What we’re looking for
We need something the skeptics acknowledge. A statement's appearance somewhere in the text won't be enough if the proponents are the ones making it.
Working the answers
- ACorrect
Paragraph 2 says, “skeptics say,” before reporting that a small number of dowsers achieve substantial, reliable results. That is direct support from the right speaker. The later criticism of the general success rate doesn't cancel this acknowledgment about a few people.
- B
The skeptics question dowsing's methods and effectiveness. They don't make the broader claim that scientists generally reject dowsing techniques. Criticism from this group isn't a report of the views of scientists as a whole.
- C
The proponents say proven dowsers are poorly represented in typical studies. That is their response to criticisms of the results, not a concession attributed to the skeptics.
- D
Sensitivity to tiny electromagnetic changes is also the proponents' proposed explanation. The skeptics' explanation instead concerns subconscious responses to surface clues.
- E
The proponents call for separate evaluation of the different techniques. We aren't told that the skeptics agree.
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