PrepTest 155, Section 1, Question 1
Advertisement: Omnicide kills more species of insects than(23 more words not shown)
Which one of the following,(9 more words not shown)
- ASome of Omnicide's(11 more words not shown)
- BMany insect species(13 more words not shown)
- CMerely protecting plants(14 more words not shown)
- DOmnicide is more(13 more words not shown)
- EOmnicide does not(11 more words not shown)
Reading the argument
What if I want some of those insects to stay? Killing more species sounds impressive until we ask whether every species is hurting the garden. Imagine a gardener wants to get rid of the insects eating the plants but keep helpful insects, such as ladybugs. An insecticide that kills both groups might create a problem while solving one.
The advertisement skips that distinction. It treats a broader range of insects killed as a reason Omnicide must be the best choice. I can see the appeal for someone who cannot identify the pest: perhaps a broad treatment will hit the culprit. But that gardener also needs to consider what else the treatment kills.
What we’re looking for
We're looking for a weakener. Give us a reason gardeners would not want this broad killing power. My prediction is that some insects help the plants and Omnicide kills those too.
Working the answers
- A
Almost as many is still fewer. This makes the competitors closer to Omnicide on the advertisement's chosen measure, but it doesn't challenge that measure. If killing more species really did make an insecticide better, Omnicide would still have the advantage. We need to question why killing more is supposed to be better.
- BCorrect
Many insect species benefit garden plants, and Omnicide kills most of those helpful species. That's the downside we wanted. Its broad killing power reaches insects the gardener has a reason to keep. B doesn't have to establish which competing product is best; it undermines the advertisement's reason for declaring Omnicide the best.
- C
Of course pest protection doesn't guarantee healthy plants. The gardener might forget to water them, they might receive too little light, or a cold snap might damage them. But the advertisement doesn't promise that insecticide solves every gardening problem. It claims this is the best insecticide. Other requirements for healthy plants don't challenge that comparison.
- D
Profit for the manufacturer doesn't tell us how well the product serves gardeners. A profitable product could be excellent or terrible for a garden. We need evidence about the advertised benefit, not the company's earnings.
- E
An insecticide needn't kill weeds or mammals to be the best insecticide. Gophers and weeds are different gardening problems. E doesn't explain why Omnicide's effects on insects make it a worse choice for its stated purpose.
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