Logical Reasoning

PT138 · S3 · Q19 Editorial: Painting involves a sequential

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Editorial: Painting involves a sequential application of layers, each of which adheres satisfactorily only if the underlying layer has been properly applied.

Setup Claims

conditional (only if)

Each layer of paint → underlying layer adheres satisfactorily properly applied

analogy (X is, in this respect, like Y)

Education is like painting, in this sense that each new layer only sticks if the previous layers were properly applied.

The most important steps in painting are preparation of the surface and application of the primer coat.

Fill-in-the-Blank

It makes sense to suppose that ....

Evaluate

The language setting up the blank is signaling that we should be inserting a conclusion. The answer should be making a safely-worded inference that synthesizes the discussion so far.

The author just set up an Analogy between painting and education, so the blank should probably have the feel of Complete the Analogy.

Goal

Let's look for an answer like, the student's surface" and application of "the primer coat" to the student.

Since preparing the surface and then adding the primer coat are the first two steps of painting, we could surmise that the answer might say that the most important steps in education are the initial, foundational ones.

19.

Which one of the following most logically completes the editorial's argument?

  1. in the educator's initial contact

    Too Strong: as undemanding as possible

    The concept of "undemanding" doesn't really match up with anything. And the extreme tone of "be as X as possible" also doesn't match up. We'd love to hear something like, "The educator's initial contacts with the student are the most important steps in education", because we think that completing the analogy means stressing that the early layers of education are the most important. But the concept of being "as undemanding as possible" is too alien.

    0% picked this

  2. students who have a secure

    Out of Scope

    Out of Scope: likely to make progress We think that completing the analogy means stressing that the early layers of education are the most important. So this answer somewhat goes off that gist, since it seems to acknowledge that "the fundamentals" are an important indicator of success. But it gets more specific than the analogy gets. We never hear that "painters who do a good job preparing their painting surface and applying primer are likely to make progress in their painting". We just heard that those are the most important steps. We could tell a rodeo rider that the most important steps to staying on the bull are X and Y. But that doesn't mean we're saying, "If you do steps X and Y well, you're likely to stay on the bull". We really just mean, "If you do steps X and Y well, you're more likely to stay on the bull".

    31% picked this

  3. educators who are not achieving

    Unrelated to Goal

    This doesn't seem to be completing the analogy at all. It has nothing to do with saying that the initial steps of education are the most important steps. We don't have anything about painters who are failing to achieve their goals needing to revise their painting methods.

    1% picked this

  4. teaching new students is rewarding

    Unrelated to Goal

    This doesn't seem to be completing the analogy at all. It has nothing to do with saying that the initial steps of education are the most important steps. It's comparing newer students to advanced students, and we don't have anything about newer painters vs. advanced painters.

    0% picked this

  5. Correct

    the success of a student's

    Why this is right

    This seems strongly worded (potential red flag), but we did want something that said "the initial steps of education are the most important steps", so we're justified in looking for some pretty strong wording. We were told that in painting, the most important layers are the initial ones (preparing the surface and applying primer). If you don't properly apply those layers, then subsequent layers won't adhere in a satisfactory (i.e. successful) manner. So by analogy, the initial layers of educational experience are most important, and if we don't apply them properly then subsequent layers will be unsuccessful.

    Skill tested: Most Supported · how this choice captures the argument's function is the move to repeat next time.

    68% picked this

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