In an experiment, volunteers walked individually through a dark, abandoned theater. Half of the volunteers had been told that the theater was haunted and the other half that it was under renovation. The first half reported significantly more unusual experiences than the second did. The researchers concluded that reports of encounters with ghosts and other supernatural entities generally result from prior expectations of such experiences.
Which of the following, if true, would most seriously weaken the researchers' reasoning?
A.None of the volunteers in the second half believed that the unusual experiences they reported were supernatural.
B.All of the volunteers in the first half believed that the researchers' statement that the theater was haunted was a lie.
C.Before being told about the theater, the volunteers within each group varied considerably in their prior beliefs about supernatural experiences.
D.Each unusual experience reported by the volunteers had a cause that did not involve the supernatural.
E.The researchers did not believe that the theater was haunted.
Source: OG Verbal 2017
OA: B
Why D can't be the answer???
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DavidG@VeritasPrep
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This is a causality argument. Expectations of paranormal activity ---> reports of paranormal activityMo2men wrote:In an experiment, volunteers walked individually through a dark, abandoned theater. Half of the volunteers had been told that the theater was haunted and the other half that it was under renovation. The first half reported significantly more unusual experiences than the second did. The researchers concluded that reports of encounters with ghosts and other supernatural entities generally result from prior expectations of such experiences.
Which of the following, if true, would most seriously weaken the researchers' reasoning?
A.None of the volunteers in the second half believed that the unusual experiences they reported were supernatural.
B.All of the volunteers in the first half believed that the researchers' statement that the theater was haunted was a lie.
C.Before being told about the theater, the volunteers within each group varied considerably in their prior beliefs about supernatural experiences.
D.Each unusual experience reported by the volunteers had a cause that did not involve the supernatural.
E.The researchers did not believe that the theater was haunted.
Source: OG Verbal 2017
OA: B
Why D can't be the answer???
If we want to weaken this argument, we want to show that it isn't expectations of paranormal activity that lead to people having these strange experiences, but something else. D is at best irrelevant, and at worst, it's a strengthener. We're talking about how expectations shape people's experiences, not about whether these experiences are actual evidence of the supernatural. Put another way, if it's their expectations of paranormal activity that lead to them having these experiences, then it stands to reason that it's not actual paranormal activity that they're experiencing, but rather a psychological phenomenon. So, if anything, D is consistent with the argument.
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GMATGuruNY
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I received a PM requesting that I comment.Mo2men wrote:In an experiment, volunteers walked individually through a dark, abandoned theater. Half of the volunteers had been told that the theater was haunted and the other half that it was under renovation. The first half reported significantly more unusual experiences than the second did. The researchers concluded that reports of encounters with ghosts and other supernatural entities generally result from prior expectations of such experiences.
Which of the following, if true, would most seriously weaken the researchers' reasoning?
A.None of the volunteers in the second half believed that the unusual experiences they reported were supernatural.
B.All of the volunteers in the first half believed that the researchers' statement that the theater was haunted was a lie.
C.Before being told about the theater, the volunteers within each group varied considerably in their prior beliefs about supernatural experiences.
D.Each unusual experience reported by the volunteers had a cause that did not involve the supernatural.
E.The researchers did not believe that the theater was haunted.
Premise:
Half of the volunteers had been told that the theater was haunted, and this half reported significantly more unusual experiences.
Conclusion:
Reports of encounters with ghosts and other supernatural entities generally result from prior expectations of such experiences.
B: All of the volunteers in the first half believed that the researchers' statement that the theater was haunted was a lie.
Since none of the volunteers who reported unusual experiences actually believed that the theater was haunted, none expected to see supernatural occurrences, WEAKENING the conclusion that reports of encounters with ghosts and other supernatural entities generally result from prior expectations of such experiences.
The correct answer is B.
D: Each unusual experience reported by the volunteers had a cause that did not involve the supernatural.
This option does not address WHY unusual experiences were reported.
Since it does not weaken the conclusion that the reports resulted from PRIOR EXPECTATIONS of such experiences, eliminate D.
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Followed here and elsewhere by over 1900 test-takers.
I have worked with students based in the US, Australia, Taiwan, China, Tajikistan, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia -- a long list of countries.
My students have been admitted to HBS, CBS, Tuck, Yale, Stern, Fuqua -- a long list of top programs.
As a tutor, I don't simply teach you how I would approach problems.
I unlock the best way for YOU to solve problems.
For more information, please email me (Mitch Hunt) at [email protected].
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