PrepTest 154, Section 4, Question 11
Gyms and fitness centers are sometimes good places(49 more words not shown)
Which one of the following(13 more words not shown)
- AAny good source(14 more words not shown)
- BThe best kind(20 more words not shown)
- CAny place where(19 more words not shown)
- DNo place that(17 more words not shown)
- ENo good source(13 more words not shown)
Reading the argument
A gym replacing its equipment could be a good place to find a deal. The old machines may still work, and the gym has a reason to sell them when it upgrades.
The passage gives us more than a low price. These machines are built better than home-use machines and are likely to have been well maintained. That makes the recommendation sound plausible.
Still, how much does the considerable use matter? What if maintaining a commercial machine at home is difficult? Those are possible concerns about whether the purchase is actually a good idea.
What we’re looking for
We're asked for a principle that helps justify the argument. I'd initially want reassurance that the wear or maintenance concerns don't spoil the deal. More generally, we need support for the move from the features described to the claim that gyms can be good places to buy used exercise machines. Let's see which rule helps make that move.
Working the answers
- A
This starts with a good source and tells us something such a source offers. We're trying to establish that the gym is a good source in the first place. A place could offer some well-maintained machines at reasonable prices without meeting whatever other requirements A might allow for being a good source. We need the rule to run from the features we've been given to the judgment we're trying to reach.
- B
Best can initially sound helpful. A strong principle isn't automatically wrong: if these purchases really were the best, that would certainly sound favorable. But look at what B actually praises. It concerns machines designed for home use, while our evidence concerns the better-built machines used in gyms. It also judges which kind of machine to buy, rather than establishing which places are good sources. Don't stop reading after the attractive words well-maintained and reasonable price.
- CCorrect
This connects the described features directly to the conclusion about a place. If well-maintained used machines are available at reasonable prices, that is a good place to buy used exercise machines. The gym sometimes offers just that combination.
The principle takes a more direct route than my initial questions about wear and maintenance: it tells us that the favorable features are enough for the judgment the author makes. And the conclusion is only that gyms are sometimes good places to buy, not that every gym machine is always a good purchase.
- D
Rejecting places that sell only home-use machines doesn't establish that gyms are good sources. Both kinds of place could have problems. We need a positive connection between the gym's offerings and the conclusion, not merely a reason to reject a different category of seller.
- E
This says something a good source must avoid: selling poorly maintained machines at high prices. The passage doesn't establish that a gym never does that. Even if it did, avoiding a disqualifying practice wouldn't by itself establish that the gym is a good source. E doesn't supply the needed support.
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