Effect (Premise): Five species of coral in the bay, including the mounds that existed for 200 years died.

Cause(Conclusion): Therefore, the blackwater incident was more serious and intense than before.

Answer Choice (D): (Defender AC) the mounds that existed for 200 years was "not" weaker last year than before.

Weakener: the mounds that existed for 200 years was weaker last year than before. (Alternative Explanation); If this is true, then the entire argument falls apart because Causation Logic is destroyed by exploring other sets of alternative explanations.

Another Way of Interpreting this Question:

Sub conclusion:

(Person being prevented from sleeping solely by such thoughts) can fall asleep by closing the eyes and counting sheep

Conclusion: Person can use counting imaginary sheep as an effective method of inducing sleep (=can fall asleep by closing the eyes and counting sheep)

* This Person -> Person being prevented from sleeping only by such thoughts

Other than such thought -> /prevent sleeping

(C) Thoughts of sheep(Other than such thought) would not keep the person

awake at that time (=/prevent sleeping)

My Question Regarding This Question. I think AC (D) is a clearly better option, but does not wanna say that this is MBF answer.

The question stem implies that there are several reasons what makes a music piece to have a strong influence throughout the world, and to be a sophisticated achievement.

"One" of those reasons is a musical piece being able to stand alone even if it deviates from the original function.

So, this could be expressed as,

"being able to stand alone even if it deviates from the original function. -> makes a music piece to have a strong influence throughout the world, and to be a sophisticated achievement"

In case of AC(D), it says the musical piece is not intelligible if it deviates from the original function. This could be expressed as

(1) Deviates from the Original Function -> Not Intelligible

(2) Deviates from the Original Function -> Cannot Stand Alone.

Here, I think we can make a slight gap from not being intelligible to not being able to stand alone. Thus, Music -> Cannot Stand Alone.

Until this point, I feel it is quite logical. However, no one says that if it cannot stand alone -> it is not a sophisticated achievement.

This was only something that have been told:

"being able to stand alone even if it deviates from the original function. -> makes a music piece to have a strong influence throughout the world, and to be a sophisticated achievement"

Under the restrictions above, there might be another reason what makes this piece a sophisticated achievement, or the most sophisticated achievement, even.

So, If the author did not mention:

To make a music piece to have a strong influence throughout the world, and to be a sophisticated achievement then the music should be able to stand alone even if it deviates from the original function.

I think AC (D) may not be a MBF. Any opinions?

BTW, I looked at Manhatten forum and cross-checked.

My explanation is a little off from J.Ys. I thought that although the premise says some political strategists adopted advertiser's strategy, it doesn't tell that was effective. I think there the assumption lies. Still, (E) is the answer choice addressing such gap.

I chose (B). I did so cuz I didn't make the distinction between flash pasteurization and intensive pasteurization. I thought the apple juice was already using intensive pasteurization technique, and thus concluded that apple juice was more free from bacteria as compared to the citrus juice. Stupid Me :(

Umm... I got this wrong cuz I interpreted Often = Most

Cause : BIOLOGICAL DISPOSITION to pay more attention to 8th 5th n 4th intervals

Effect : Babies paid more attention to 8th 5th n 4th intervals

Strengthening Causation Logic: A/D is irrelevant A/C; doesn't touch on the idea of causation.

B) None of the babies in the experiment had previous exposure to music from any culture.

Correct : Eliminate an Alternative Cause

C) All of the babies in the experiment had been exposed to music drawn equally from a wide variety of cultures around the world.

Incorrect : Bring in Alternative Cause

E) Octaves, fifths, and fourths were played more frequently during the experiment than other musical intervals were.

Incorrect : Bring in Alternative Cause

I make a reply because someone might engage in similar confusion as mine with the AC (B). It is not drawing an "analogy" between an attitude(doubt) commonly adopted in one situation and a different attitude(utmost respect) commonly adapted in another situation. Analogy does not operate like that. If there are two different attitudes regarding similar situation confronted, then it is not analogy anymore, by definition. Also, another consideration lies on the "latter" part since the writer is following the initial attitude, not the latter part.

I definitely agree that Q23 was a tough question. I do see your point make sense cuz Answer choice (A) was an AC that I dropped a triangle and moved on. Why I didn't choose (A) was because of the nuance of the word "adequate", "adequate" is definitely a word with positive connotation, and the author's central VP is that the program has a problem, too much focused on the short term economic viability of an immigrant. In case of Answer choice (B), what I had problem with was that "cut them off from potential sources of income" may not match being detached from business opportunities granted by the immigrant society, but since I did not have any better alternative choice, I went with it.

A,D,E was completely wrong; the thing is B and C weren't that ideal answer choice. B makes a tense shift from current to future. In case of C, is a shift from whole to part. Tendency of a group may not be true, if we look at an individual data set.

I thought main point is always written in the stimulus explicitly, and this question, aligned with another question in the third set, breaks my assumption. Any ideas?