Logical Reasoning

PT105 · S4 · Q18 In a study in which

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In a study in which secondary school students were asked to identify the teachers they liked the best, the teachers most often identified possessed a personality that constitutes 20 percent of the general public but only 5 percent of teachers.

Conclusion (must)

Something must discourage the people who would be the best-liked teachers from entering the profession.

Evidence

In a study, high school students picked their favorite teacher, and the teachers picked by the most students had a personality trait that's found in 20% of the population, but in only 5% of teachers.

Evaluate

We want to really hear the "Thus, something must discourage people from teaching ... " as the author squinting his eyes, stroking his chin, about to solve the case or make the right diagnosis of this causal mystery.

What's the causal mystery?

Curious Fact ... Why is trait X found in 20% of the general population, but in only 5% of teachers (and in 100% of the most-loved teachers in this survey)?

Author's Explanation ... There's something that discourages people with trait X from entering teaching.

We usually weaken these arguments by either, suggesting an Alternate Explanation for the curious fact or by undermining the plausibility of the Author's Explanation

In this case, though, the author doesn't really propose a specific Explanation. It's just, .

Goal

Since there's no specific causal storyline, it's hard to pick at its plausibility. It seems like the correct answer will just have to offer an Alternate Explanation for why people with Personality X are beloved teachers, 20% of the general population, but only 5% of teachers.

We want a different way to explain that statistic, so that we can argue the Anti-Conclusion, .

18.

Which one of the following, if true, most weakens the argument?

People with the personality type
Unclear Impact: medical profession
What impact this answer has kind of depends on whether we think that a factor that would keep people out of teaching would also keep them out of medicine. I can see some people thinking, "The author thinks that something like low pay is keeping people with Personality X from entering teaching. But low pay wouldn't be a concern with entering the medical profession. So this is like a No Cause, Effect weakener." That's too much of a story for us to be filling in on our own. Also, let's say that Personality X is someone who is very empathic -- they really feel the feelings of the people they're with. Students would probably love teachers like that, but empathic people get exhausted by experiencing everyone's emotions, so you could see the emotional drain of caring about students (in teaching) or caring about patients (in medicine) actually could be a factor that discourages people with Personality X from entering both teaching and medicine.
2% picked this
People with the personality type
Strengthens, if anything
This fact seems to superimpose on top of the author's current story: even though Type X is found in 20% of the general population, it's only found in 5% of teachers. This answer is adding, "yup, it's only 5% of people trying to get a degree so they can enter the teaching profession".
16% picked this
Students of teachers with the
No Impact: beloved teachers' students
This answer is talking about the students of teachers with Personality X? What does that have to do with explaining why Personality X is underrepresented among teachers? We can't add an assumption that students take on the personalities types of their teachers.
9% picked this
Students with the personality type
No Impact: beloved teachers' students
This answer is talking about the students of teachers with Personality X? What does that have to do with explaining why Personality X is underrepresented among teachers? This seems to just add more evidence that Personality X is associated with being pretty likable, whether it's students liking teachers or teachers liking students. But who cares if students are liked or not liked by their teachers? We need to explain why Personality X shows up in 20% of the population but only 5% of teachers.
8% picked this
Correct
Teachers with the personality type
Why this is right
This provides an Alternate Explanation for the curious fact, and it allows us to argue the Anti-Conclusion: Nothing is discouraging people with Personality X from entering teaching (anti-conclusion). 20% of the general public has Personality X, and 20% of people who enter teaching presumably have that personality type. But teachers with type X are more likely to quit teaching, so over time, the roster of teachers becomes more and more underrepresented when it comes to teachers with Personality X. This is kind of like if you were at a friend's house and their mom had a big bowl of Skittles always out on the coffee table. You noticed that even though red skittles are 20% of the skittle flavors, they are only 5% of the remaining Skittles in the bowl. You conclude that "something must be discouraging my friend's mom from putting more red Skittles into the bowl." This answer is saying, "Nah, red skittles were 20% of the bowl when they entered the bowl. But people are more likely to remove red skittles than other as they periodically snack from a Skittle bowl." Over time, the red ones become more and more underrepresented.
Skill tested: Weaken · how this choice captures the argument's function is the move to repeat next time.
65% picked this

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