PTB.S4.Q18 - In a study in which secondary school students...

jmwillis98

can you explain why this weaken question is incorrect? I chose answer C, but the correct answer is answer E

Orange Tabby

Hi, I am not the best at explaining but I will try my best to explain my reasoning.
I chose answer choice E because the argument says; Students liked those teachers that had certain personality trait which was found in 20% of general public but only 5% of teachers, concluding that something out there is discouraging those people that would be likable teachers (because they possess the personality trait) from becoming teachers. We have to weaken the reasoning and answer choice E weakens it by mentioning that it is NOT the case that something discourages people from becoming teachers but actually people with that certain personality trait become teachers but they are more likely to quit.
Answer choice C does not weaken the argument, we do not know if the the students of the teachers with the personality trait also have the personality trait or are likely to develop it, and even if they did, this answer choice would, if anything, strengthen, not weaken, the argument by mentioning that in fact there is something out there that prevents these students from becoming teachers (getting recruited for other jobs).

maco4538

Hi there,

So, with any flaw, strengthen and weakening question, we should preface the assumptions before moving onto the answer choices. Taking the extra time to figure the assumptions out will ultimately save us time overall.

I think its easiest to articulate the assumptions this way:

Conclusion: something must discourage the people who would be the best liked teachers from entering the profession.

Why?

Premise: (Because) the teachers most often identified as the teacher that students liked best possessed a personality type that constitutes 20% of the general public but only 5% of teachers.

Assumption: Since, more often than not, those who would be best liked teachers were not teachers at the time of the study, means that those who would be best liked teachers were never teachers.

A parallel helps us see why this is a hasty assumption.

Conclusion: Something must prevent water from entering this region.

Why?

Premise: (Because)This place is a desert.

Assumption: Something that lacks water rarely had water.

But it could be equally true that water once was abundant in the region but due to a spike in temperature it dried out. So while a desert clearly lacks water doesn't mean water in the region is rare.

The moral here is that we can't assume that because it lacks it must be rare. So just because we currently see a lack of teachers with the personality trait doesn't mean teachers with this personality trait is rare.

Thats why E works: people with this personality trait are more likely to quit teaching.

C is about students of teachers, whereas the argument is about teachers. Even so, if it was about teachers, it would strengthen the argument. According to C, the thing preventing the people who would be the best liked teacher from entering the profession is that they are often recruited for noneducational positions.

jmwillis98

Thank you both! I understand it a lot better now.