- PowerScore Staff
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- Wed Mar 30, 2016 6:46 pm
#22669
Question #5: Resolve the Paradox. The correct answer choice is (A)
The fifth question in this section presents us with a reasonably straightforward conundrum: if home ownership is truly a sign of economic prosperity, why is it the case that in many European and North American regions high levels of home ownership correspond with low levels of economic prosperity (“high levels of unemployment,” more specifically)?
The correct answer to this question will supply an active reason to explain how the two conflicting ideas—high levels of home ownership paired with high levels of unemployment—could realistically coexist. In short, it will answer the “why” question above.
From a prephrasing standpoint, you should be looking for an answer that outlines an economically-detrimental outcome of home ownership. Can you predict with confidence exactly what that outcome might be? No, probably not, or at least not with certainty. So instead move aggressively to the answer choices with a broader framework: does this explain why owning a home might restrict economic/employment opportunities?
Answer choice (A): This is the correct answer choice. As expected, the correct answer provides an employment-limiting consequence of home ownership: owning a home makes it more difficult to relocate to a job-rich region. If that’s the case, then it seems entirely reasonable to believe the paradox in the stimulus could occur.
Answer choice (B): serves to exacerbate the paradox, as homeownership seemingly puts home owners in closer proximity to employment opportunities, and thus should correspond to low levels of unemployment.
Answer choice (C): This is a classic Resolve the Paradox trap answer. It merely restates, or reemphasizes, the facts of the stimulus, without providing an explanation as to their cause. Remember, your goal here is an active one: we need an answer that gives a reason for why the apparent conflict could occur. Restating that the conflict exists does nothing to help explain it.
Answer choice (D): Like answer choice (B), this choice makes the apparent conflict even more paradoxical. By stating that homeowners tend to form support networks and thereby learn of job availability it seems much more likely that homeowners would face lower unemployment, not higher as we’re told in the stimulus.
Answer choice (E): While few people choose this option, it is an intriguing answer to examine. Essentially what this puts forth is the opposite of the paradox—equating the early stage of home ownership (buying a house) with a feeling of economic security—that neither explains home ownership’s correspondence to high unemployment, nor addresses the paradox on a meaningful time scale. That is, it simply deals with purchasing a home, not home ownership itself which would generally be considered to extend well beyond the impetus for the initial purchase. At any rate, it does nothing to explain the discrepancy in the stimulus, and is therefore incorrect.
The fifth question in this section presents us with a reasonably straightforward conundrum: if home ownership is truly a sign of economic prosperity, why is it the case that in many European and North American regions high levels of home ownership correspond with low levels of economic prosperity (“high levels of unemployment,” more specifically)?
The correct answer to this question will supply an active reason to explain how the two conflicting ideas—high levels of home ownership paired with high levels of unemployment—could realistically coexist. In short, it will answer the “why” question above.
From a prephrasing standpoint, you should be looking for an answer that outlines an economically-detrimental outcome of home ownership. Can you predict with confidence exactly what that outcome might be? No, probably not, or at least not with certainty. So instead move aggressively to the answer choices with a broader framework: does this explain why owning a home might restrict economic/employment opportunities?
Answer choice (A): This is the correct answer choice. As expected, the correct answer provides an employment-limiting consequence of home ownership: owning a home makes it more difficult to relocate to a job-rich region. If that’s the case, then it seems entirely reasonable to believe the paradox in the stimulus could occur.
Answer choice (B): serves to exacerbate the paradox, as homeownership seemingly puts home owners in closer proximity to employment opportunities, and thus should correspond to low levels of unemployment.
Answer choice (C): This is a classic Resolve the Paradox trap answer. It merely restates, or reemphasizes, the facts of the stimulus, without providing an explanation as to their cause. Remember, your goal here is an active one: we need an answer that gives a reason for why the apparent conflict could occur. Restating that the conflict exists does nothing to help explain it.
Answer choice (D): Like answer choice (B), this choice makes the apparent conflict even more paradoxical. By stating that homeowners tend to form support networks and thereby learn of job availability it seems much more likely that homeowners would face lower unemployment, not higher as we’re told in the stimulus.
Answer choice (E): While few people choose this option, it is an intriguing answer to examine. Essentially what this puts forth is the opposite of the paradox—equating the early stage of home ownership (buying a house) with a feeling of economic security—that neither explains home ownership’s correspondence to high unemployment, nor addresses the paradox on a meaningful time scale. That is, it simply deals with purchasing a home, not home ownership itself which would generally be considered to extend well beyond the impetus for the initial purchase. At any rate, it does nothing to explain the discrepancy in the stimulus, and is therefore incorrect.