- PowerScore Staff
- Posts: 8950
- Joined: Feb 02, 2011
- Fri May 12, 2017 4:41 pm
#34797
Complete Question Explanation
Strengthen—PR. The correct answer choice is (D)
The author of this stimulus discusses why treat-training your dog may not be the best way to go. The
way treat-training works is that whenever your dog responds appropriately to your commands, you
reward it with an edible treat. This seems like an effective training technique, because most dogs
will learn to do what they need to do to get a treat. And they will learn quickly. However, the author
points out that there is a downside as well. Most treat-trained dogs will not obey commands unless
they see the reward first, meaning they will not obey unless they are first shown a treat. Because it is
not possible to always have treats available, the author concludes that you “should instead use praise
and verbal correction to train your dog.”
The inclusion of the word “should” in the stimulus indicates that the author has applied some
unstated rule to the facts in the stimulus to derive the conclusion. In this case, the facts were that
most treat-trained dogs will obey commands only if first shown a treat, but that a dog owner cannot
always have treats available. The conclusion was that you should use praise and verbal correction to
train your dog, presumably since praise and verbal correction are always available. It appears from
the use of the word “should” that the author is applying a rule providing that a dog owner should use
a training system in which the reward is always available.
This is a Strengthen—Principle question. Our prephrase is that the correct answer choice will
describe the principle discussed above, that a dog owner should use a training method that involves a
reward the owner will always have available.
Answer choice (A): This answer choice is incorrect because it would simply tell us which method a
dog owner is more likely to use, rather than which method a dog owner should use.
Answer choice (B): This principle runs counter to the facts in the stimulus. We were told that a treattrained
dog will not obey unless first shown a treat. And again, this answer choice does not give us a
rule that would result in a conclusion about which training method a dog owner should use.
Answer choice (C): The conclusion was that you should use praise and verbal correction to train
your dog. We do not know the relative effectiveness of praise and verbal correction, so this answer
choice is incorrect.
Answer choice (D): This is the correct answer choice. Although the stimulus did not state
explicitly that praise and verbal correction are tools that are always available, it is reasonable to
assume that they are, since they require nothing other than the presence of the owner. So this answer
choice supports the conclusion that you should train your dog using praise and verbal correction, a
stimulus that you can supply in all situations.
Answer choice (E): The principle in this answer choice would lead to a conclusion stating that a
certain training method should not be used. This choice would not lead to the conclusion in the
stimulus, which stated that a certain method should be used.
Strengthen—PR. The correct answer choice is (D)
The author of this stimulus discusses why treat-training your dog may not be the best way to go. The
way treat-training works is that whenever your dog responds appropriately to your commands, you
reward it with an edible treat. This seems like an effective training technique, because most dogs
will learn to do what they need to do to get a treat. And they will learn quickly. However, the author
points out that there is a downside as well. Most treat-trained dogs will not obey commands unless
they see the reward first, meaning they will not obey unless they are first shown a treat. Because it is
not possible to always have treats available, the author concludes that you “should instead use praise
and verbal correction to train your dog.”
The inclusion of the word “should” in the stimulus indicates that the author has applied some
unstated rule to the facts in the stimulus to derive the conclusion. In this case, the facts were that
most treat-trained dogs will obey commands only if first shown a treat, but that a dog owner cannot
always have treats available. The conclusion was that you should use praise and verbal correction to
train your dog, presumably since praise and verbal correction are always available. It appears from
the use of the word “should” that the author is applying a rule providing that a dog owner should use
a training system in which the reward is always available.
This is a Strengthen—Principle question. Our prephrase is that the correct answer choice will
describe the principle discussed above, that a dog owner should use a training method that involves a
reward the owner will always have available.
Answer choice (A): This answer choice is incorrect because it would simply tell us which method a
dog owner is more likely to use, rather than which method a dog owner should use.
Answer choice (B): This principle runs counter to the facts in the stimulus. We were told that a treattrained
dog will not obey unless first shown a treat. And again, this answer choice does not give us a
rule that would result in a conclusion about which training method a dog owner should use.
Answer choice (C): The conclusion was that you should use praise and verbal correction to train
your dog. We do not know the relative effectiveness of praise and verbal correction, so this answer
choice is incorrect.
Answer choice (D): This is the correct answer choice. Although the stimulus did not state
explicitly that praise and verbal correction are tools that are always available, it is reasonable to
assume that they are, since they require nothing other than the presence of the owner. So this answer
choice supports the conclusion that you should train your dog using praise and verbal correction, a
stimulus that you can supply in all situations.
Answer choice (E): The principle in this answer choice would lead to a conclusion stating that a
certain training method should not be used. This choice would not lead to the conclusion in the
stimulus, which stated that a certain method should be used.