PrepTest 21 - Section 2 - Question 12 | Explanation & Discussion

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Alan: Government subsidies have been proposed in Cariana to encourage farmers in Rochelle, the country’s principal agricultural region, to implement certain new farming techniques. ██████ █████ ██████████ ███ ████████████ ███████ ██ ██████████ ███████ ██████ ██ ███████████ ██████████████ ███████ ██████ ██████ ██ ████████ ███ ██████ ████ ██ ███ ███ ███████████ █████ ███ ████ █████████ ████ █████ █████████ █████ ██████████ ███████ ██████████ ████████████ ██████ ██ ████████ ████ ██████████ ████████

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Structure: Counter-Argument

The stimulus presents two arguments about government subsidies for the agricultural district of Rochelle in the country of Cariana. Alan argues that, since implementing new agricultural techniques is necessary to control the erosion of productive topsoil, and since farmers cannot afford to implement these new techniques on their own, agricultural output in Rochelle will "inevitably decline" without subsidies.

Betty responds that the cause of the erosion is recurring floods, which will stop when Cariana finishes a new dam next year. She concludes that the total agricultural output of Rochelle will "stabilize at the present level" even if Rochelle does not receive subsidies.

12.

Betty uses which one of ███ █████████ █████████████ ██████████ ██ ██████████ ████████ █████████

Question Type

Method of reasoning or descriptive

Alan argues that new agricultural techniques are necessary to control topsoil erosion in Rochelle, and therefore subsidies are necessary to fund the implementation of these new techniques. But Betty disputes the idea that these techniques are necessary to control erosion, since she argues that the erosion will stop altogether once floods are eliminated next year by the dam. So Betty contests one of Alan's premises by suggesting that the cause of the phenomenon he is concerned with will be eliminated.

showing that one ███████ ██ ████████ ████████ ██ ████████████ ████ ███████ ███████ ██ ███ ████████

Incorrect. Betty doesn't make any statements directly about Alan's premises, still less claim that they are incompatible with each other.

making additional claims █████ ██ ████████ █████████ █ ███████ ██ ████████ ████████

Correct. If Betty is right that floods are the cause of erosion in Rochelle, and that those floods will end once the dam is completed, then she effectively undermines Alan's premise that without the new farming techniques, erosion of topsoil "cannot be controlled." If the dam stops the floods and ends the erosion, then the new farming techniques will not be necessary to control the erosion.

94%

demonstrating that Alan’s ██████████ ██ ████ ███ ███ ███ ███ ███████ ████ █████ ██ ███████ ██

Incorrect. Betty never demonstrates that Alan's conclusion is true. Her argument is opposed to Alan's conclusion.

presenting evidence indicating ████ ███ ██████ ████ ██████ ██ █████ ██ █████ ████ ████████ ████████████ ████ ████████ ███ ████████ ████████████

Incorrect. Betty doesn't present any evidence about the consequences, positive or negative, of subsidizing these new farming techniques as Alan advocates.

pointing out that ████████ ████████ ██████████ ██████████ █████████ ██ ███ █████ ██ █ █████ ████ ██ ██ ██████ ██ ██████ ██ ████ █████

Incorrect. Betty doesn't directly attack Alan's argument, let alone claim that he has confused an effect for a cause.

PrepTest 21 - Section 2 - Question 12

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