Skip to Main Content

June 2007, Logical Reasoning 1, Question 16

Transcript

Question 16 is a point at issue question. We know because it's asking about what two people, Sandra and Taylor would disagree about based on the statements that they have said above. So with a pointed issue question, we're being asked to find an answer that we are 100% certain that the two people here, Taylor and Sandra, disagree about. Something we can absolutely 100% prove based on what they said that they have different views on, which is different from asking what they're arguing about and it's different from asking what you think the sort of person like Taylor or Sandra would say.

It's entirely based on what they say explicitly. Thus, when you go to the stimulus, you're just looking to break the information down into usable chunks. Here, Taylor and Sandra each tell us three things. The first thing Taylor does is that he introduces the results of some research at a local university.

So researchers at a local university claim that 61% of information transferred during a conversation is communicated through nonverbal signals. Taylor isn't saying that's true, he's just saying that's what researchers say. The second thing that Taylor tells us is that this claim, like all such mathematically precise claims, is suspect. So any mathematically precise claim is suspect, because claims of such exactitude could never be established by science.

Sandra, now Sandra also tells us three things. The first thing she tells us is that precision isn't always possible, but it is commonplace. The second thing she tells us is that many scientific disciplines obtain extremely precise results. So science can be extremely precise, and that's no reason to doubt the science.

So precision is not a good reason to doubt science. So we may have an inkling as to what the disagreement is gonna be when we get to the answer choices. Either way, just go answer choice by answer choice, asking yourself, do I know what Taylor thinks? Do I know what Sandra thinks?

And, do they disagree? If you can answer yes to all three questions, you've got your answer. If you can't, cross it out and move on. Answer choice A, research might reveal that 61% of the information taken in during a conversation is communicated through nonverbal signals. Well, Taylor definitely has a view about this, because Taylor thinks that all science can't be as precise as 61%.

You can't be that mathematically precise. So Taylor would say no to this. So be careful. Sandra, we don't know what she would think about this. She doesn't think anything about any particular scientific discipline, whether it's linguistics, or conversation studies, or what, it's just, she thinks that there are some areas where science can be precise.

She doesn't take a stand on any particular type of science. Because this is specifically about the conversation research, we don't know what Sandra thinks, and A is not our answer. Answer choice B, it is possible to determine whether 61% of the information taken in during a conversation is communicated through nonverbal signals. So this is the same thing as the last answer choice, it's really almost identical.

Taylor doesn't think it's possible, Because Taylor thinks that no science could do this. Sandra doesn't take a stand on all science or on any particular science, she just says that there are sciences that can be precise. We don't know if she thinks that linguistics is one of those areas, B is not our answer.

Answer choice C, the study of verbal and nonverbal communication is an area where one cannot expect great precision. So answer choice C has the same problem as A and B did, it is about the study of verbal and nonverbal communication. Taylor thinks that all study can't be so precise, so Taylor would agree with answer choice C.

Sandra, I don't know what she would think, because she only says there are some areas of science that can be precise. She doesn't take a stand on any particular area of science. So D, some scientists can yield mathematically precise results that are not inherently suspect. Well, sure. This is our answer because Taylor says science can never establish mathematically precise claims and that they are all suspect.

Sandra, on the other hand, says science can be precise and it shouldn't be doubted just because of precision. If you're worried about the difference between doubt and suspicion or suspect those are just synonyms. The testmaker uses reasonable synonyms all the time. So, just because It's a different word, It doesn't matter.

Think about the meaning of the word. Answer choice D is what we want. So glance at E just to see why it's wrong. E says, if inherently suspect claims are usually false. Well, Taylor doesn't take a stand on whether suspect claims are usually false or usually true, just that they're suspect.

He also doesn't take a stance on the majority of claims made by scientists just on the mathematically precise ones. So I don't even know what Taylor thinks about E. So our answer is D

Read full transcript