- PowerScore Staff
- Posts: 8950
- Joined: Feb 02, 2011
- Mon May 16, 2016 10:33 am
#24909
Complete Question Explanation
Strengthen. The correct answer choice is (B)
In this question, the stimulus author draws an analogy between a person reading a new book for
pleasure and a tourist traveling to a new place. The basis for the comparison is that both seek to
enlarge their understanding, rather than simply acquire information.
The author goes on to tell us that “it is better to travel to fewer places and spend more time in each
rather than to spend a small amount of time in many different places.” Based on this, the author
concludes that “it is better to read fewer books and spend more time on each rather than to quickly
read as many as one can.”
A question left unanswered by this argument is why it is better to read fewer books, spending more
time on each. To answer this question, we can refer back to the second sentence, which told us about
the purpose shared by both the traveler and the reader, to enlarge their understanding.
The question stem tells us this is a Strengthen question. Our prephrase is that the correct answer
choice will likely say that a reader can better enlarge their understanding by reading fewer books,
spending more time on each, than by quickly reading as many books as possible.
Answer choice (A): This answer choice provides a comparison between tourists learning when
they are there to relax, versus when they are there for reasons other than relaxation. This is the
wrong comparison. The correct answer needs to say that the the tourist learns more when the tourist
spends more time in the same place, rather than spending less time in a larger number of places.
We will see that this is not the only answer choice to lure you with the wrong comparison. Answer
choices (C) and (D) play the same game. A person who improperly condensed their prephrase to
“a comparison,” or who rushed through the answer choices, might get tripped up by one of these
irrelevant comparisons.
Answer choice (B): This is the correct answer choice, because it provides the comparison we are
looking for. It tells us that a tourist learns more about a place after they have spent several days there
than they learn when they have been in that place less time. So, the more time they spend in the
place, the more they learn about it.
Answer choice (C): As with answer choice (A), this is the wrong comparison. This choice says you
can learn more about a place by visiting it than by reading about it.
Answer choice (D): Again, as with answer choices (A) and (C), this answer is focused on the wrong
comparison. Here, the comparison is that tourists who have read about a place before they visit it
tend to stay there longer than a tourist who did not read about the place beforehand.
Answer choice (E): This answer choice is irrelevant to the conclusion, because it talks about a
group of tourists that were not the subject of the stimulus, i.e., those who are interested only in their immediate enjoyment, rather than in enlarging their understanding.
Strengthen. The correct answer choice is (B)
In this question, the stimulus author draws an analogy between a person reading a new book for
pleasure and a tourist traveling to a new place. The basis for the comparison is that both seek to
enlarge their understanding, rather than simply acquire information.
The author goes on to tell us that “it is better to travel to fewer places and spend more time in each
rather than to spend a small amount of time in many different places.” Based on this, the author
concludes that “it is better to read fewer books and spend more time on each rather than to quickly
read as many as one can.”
A question left unanswered by this argument is why it is better to read fewer books, spending more
time on each. To answer this question, we can refer back to the second sentence, which told us about
the purpose shared by both the traveler and the reader, to enlarge their understanding.
The question stem tells us this is a Strengthen question. Our prephrase is that the correct answer
choice will likely say that a reader can better enlarge their understanding by reading fewer books,
spending more time on each, than by quickly reading as many books as possible.
Answer choice (A): This answer choice provides a comparison between tourists learning when
they are there to relax, versus when they are there for reasons other than relaxation. This is the
wrong comparison. The correct answer needs to say that the the tourist learns more when the tourist
spends more time in the same place, rather than spending less time in a larger number of places.
We will see that this is not the only answer choice to lure you with the wrong comparison. Answer
choices (C) and (D) play the same game. A person who improperly condensed their prephrase to
“a comparison,” or who rushed through the answer choices, might get tripped up by one of these
irrelevant comparisons.
Answer choice (B): This is the correct answer choice, because it provides the comparison we are
looking for. It tells us that a tourist learns more about a place after they have spent several days there
than they learn when they have been in that place less time. So, the more time they spend in the
place, the more they learn about it.
Answer choice (C): As with answer choice (A), this is the wrong comparison. This choice says you
can learn more about a place by visiting it than by reading about it.
Answer choice (D): Again, as with answer choices (A) and (C), this answer is focused on the wrong
comparison. Here, the comparison is that tourists who have read about a place before they visit it
tend to stay there longer than a tourist who did not read about the place beforehand.
Answer choice (E): This answer choice is irrelevant to the conclusion, because it talks about a
group of tourists that were not the subject of the stimulus, i.e., those who are interested only in their immediate enjoyment, rather than in enlarging their understanding.