PrepTest 158, Section 2, Question 7
Researcher: In a recent study of elementary school(62 more words not shown)
Which one of the following,(8 more words not shown)
- AThe recommended height(9 more words not shown)
- BChildren spend more(9 more words not shown)
- CThe greater suppleness(13 more words not shown)
- DOffice workers' keyboards(14 more words not shown)
- EOffice workers are(8 more words not shown)
Reading the argument
Those computer stations sound uncomfortable. If the screen is too high and the keyboard puts a child's wrists at an awkward angle, I can see why we'd want to change the setup.
But did nobody consider posture? Maybe they did and struggled to accommodate children of very different heights. Equipment that fits an older child might leave a kindergartner craning upward. A poor result doesn't by itself tell us what the installers considered.
There's a second jump: the same risk as office workers. How long are these children at the computers? An adult might spend eight hours at a desk while a child visits the computer lab briefly. Even if both use awkward positions, their exposure could differ. We need more than similar-looking posture to establish equal risk.
What we’re looking for
For the weakening question, focus on that final comparison. The claim about the installers' thinking is an earlier step; the ultimate claim puts children at the same risk of repetitive stress injuries as adults. I'd look for a relevant difference between the groups. Time spent at the computer is one possibility, but it isn't the only way their risks could differ.
Working the answers
- A
Different recommended heights make sense for people of different sizes. But we already know that the school equipment isn't at the recommended height for children. A doesn't tell us whether that creates the same injury risk as office work. A difference in recommendations isn't yet a difference in susceptibility.
- B
This compares children's computer use at home with their use at school. We need to compare children's injury risk with office workers' risk. Spending more time at home doesn't show that school computer use is harmless or that the adult comparison is wrong. The argument never says school is where children face the greatest risk.
- CCorrect
“Suppleness” means flexibility. Children's greater flexibility makes them less susceptible to these injuries than adults are. That gives us the relevant difference we wanted, even though it concerns their bodies rather than the amount of time they spend at a desk.
Similar postures need not produce equal risks in bodies that respond differently. C doesn't say children are completely safe; it says they're less susceptible, which directly challenges the researcher's comparison.
- D
This makes the two groups' equipment problems look more alike. Adult keyboards and monitors are also generally at unsuitable heights. That doesn't prove the risks are equal, but it supplies no difference that would undermine the comparison.
- E
Reporting an injury and suffering an injury are different things. Children could be less likely to tell someone about an injury while still being just as likely to suffer one. The researcher is making a claim about risk, not comparing the number of injury reports.
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