Self-study
A certain type of insect trap uses a scented lure to attract rose beetles into a plastic bag from which it is difficult for them to escape. ██ ███████ ██ █████ █████ ███ █████████ ██ █ ████████ ███████ ███ ██████ ██ ████ ███████ ██ ███ ██████ ████ ██ ███████ ████████ ██ ████ ███ ████ ██ ██████████ ████████ ███ ██████ ██ ████ ███████ ██ ███ ██████ ████ ████████ █████████
Gotta Catch Em All
Resolve, reconcile, or explain questions present us two facts that exist in tension, then ask us to provide an additional fact that explains how they could both be true. In this stimulus, the two facts in tension are:
Fact 1: Using lots of traps makes beetles go down.
Fact 2: Using only one trap makes beetles go up.
We can anticipate a pretty formulaic explanation for this stimulus. The right answer must provide a difference between one trap and many traps that would make one trap bad and many traps good. Wrong answers will fall short of that standard.
2.
Which one of the following, ██ █████ ████ █████ ██ ███████ ███ ████████ ████████████
a
The scent of █ ██████ ████████ ████ ███████ ██████ ██ ████████ ██████████ █ ████████ ██████ ██ ████ ████████
(A) explains why multiple traps might be more effective than a single trap, but it doesn't explain the increase in beetles that can occur when using a single trap.
b
Several traps are ██████ ████ ██ █████ █ █████ ██████ ██ ████ ███████ ████ ██ ███ ████ ██████ █████ ███ ████ ███████ ████ █████ ███ ████ ███ ██████ ██ █████████ ███████ ████ ██ █████ ███ ███████ █████ ██ ███ ███████
(B) explains why multiple traps might be more effective than a single trap, but it doesn't explain the increase in beetles that can occur when using a single trap.
c
When there are ███████ █████ ██ █ ███████ ████ ████ ███████ █████ ████ ███████ ████ ███ ██████ ████ █████ ██ ██ ████ ███ ████ ████ ██ ███ ███████
If anything, (C) threatens to invert the phenomenon described in the stimulus – it suggests (poorly) that using one trap might be more effective after all. That said, just because each of the several traps captures fewer beetles doesn't mean they capture fewer beetles in total.
All to say, (C) ends up just being irrelevant on both sides – it neither explains the efficacy of multiple traps, nor the inefficacy of a single trap.
d
The presence of ███ █████ ██ █ ████████ ██████ ████ ███████ ████ ████ ███████ ████ ███ ████ ███ ██████ ███ ███████ █████ ████ ███ ███████ █████████████ ████ ████ ███████ ██ █ ██████ ████ ███ ████ █████
(D) introduces an additional fact (both strategies attract tons more beetles), then points to a difference between one trap and many (one trap can't catch all the new beetles, but many traps can catch them all) that accounts for both the efficacy of the many-traps strategy and the increased beetle count when using the one-trap strategy.
e
When there is ████ ███ ████ ██ ███ ███████ ███ ███████ ███ ███████ ███████ ██████ ██ █████████ ████████ ████ ████ ███████ ██ ███████
(E) explains why multiple traps might be more effective than a single trap, but it doesn't explain the increase in beetles that can occur when using a single trap.