PrepTest 155, Section 1, Question 8
A person who does not have both a(49 more words not shown)
Which one of the following(14 more words not shown)
- AWithout having either(35 more words not shown)
- BIt is not(42 more words not shown)
- CA person cannot(21 more words not shown)
- DNo one can(40 more words not shown)
- EThe only way(25 more words not shown)
Reading the argument
Marie meets two requirements. Has she met every requirement?
The first sentence is a complicated way of saying that an EMT license requires both a high school diploma and demonstrated CPR competence. Missing either one rules someone out. But satisfying both doesn't guarantee a license. What if applicants also need to be able to drive, and Marie cannot? That's a possible extra requirement, not a claim about actual licensing rules.
The author skips that possibility and treats the two stated requirements as a complete guarantee. That's the mistake to match.
What we’re looking for
Initially I'd look for another argument with two requirements, a person who meets them, and a conclusion that the person must get the outcome. But the number of separately named requirements is less important than the move from meeting a requirement to guaranteeing success. We should compare that move in each answer.
Working the answers
- A
This has a different mistake. It says a good pianist needs either a good ear or exceptional manual dexterity, then concludes that Paul has both because he plays well. Meeting an either-or requirement doesn't establish both parts. The original instead tells us Marie meets its requirements and wrongly guarantees the outcome. A starts with the outcome and overstates what requirements it reveals.
- BCorrect
Effective foreign-language teaching requires fluency in at least two languages. Professor Yessios meets that requirement by speaking Greek, English, and Persian. The argument then guarantees that she will teach effectively. Why? She could speak all three languages and have no patience for teaching.
Fluency plays the role of Marie's diploma and CPR competence: something needed for success, which the person has. Effective teaching plays the role of the license: the outcome wrongly guaranteed. B packages its requirement differently, but it makes the same mistake.
- C
This reasons from the license to a requirement for having it. A licensed plumbing contractor must have completed an apprenticeship; Martin is licensed, so the argument concludes that he completed one. That follows the rule rather than treating an apprenticeship as a guarantee of licensing. To match Marie's argument, it would need to start with Martin's completed apprenticeship and conclude that he must be licensed.
- D
The two kinds of knowledge may look like the diploma and CPR requirements, but check the direction. We already know Leroux is an effective mayor, so the stated rule supports finding both required kinds of knowledge. Our argument instead begins with the requirements being met. A matching version would say Leroux knows national and international affairs and therefore must be an effective mayor.
- E
Fresh vegetables are required for delicious vegetable soup under this answer's rule. We're told the soup is delicious, so we can infer it was made with fresh vegetables. Again, we start with the outcome and identify its requirement. The flawed version would start with fresh vegetables and assume the soup must taste delicious. C, D, and E all avoid the mistake B makes.
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