MBT Questions

[ashley96]

Hello,

I understand that in must be true questions an incorrect answer choice is one that could be true or is possibly true, as such answers don't necessarily HAVE TO BE TRUE. However, I believe I am mixing this concept up. For example, on page 131 of the 2016 LRB (question 3), I concluded that answer choice E was correct (but using the method of elimination as I knew that A to D certainly did not have to be true). While answer choice E is indeed correct, I think my way of coming to this answer via elimination needs improvement. This is because with E I chose this answer as a "default" and I don't entirely understand why it is correct. It talks about what is possible, but I thought that in MBT questions, the answers that concern what could be true/possibly true were incorrect.

Please help!
I think I am translating the advice that "possibly true answers" are incorrect in MBT questions in the wrong way when answering MBT questions.

Thank you so much!
Ashley

[Nikki Siclunov]

Hey Ashley,

This is a great question, and I'm glad you're asking it! You are most definitely misunderstanding the advice against choosing "possibly true" answers. Indeed, when answering MBT questions you need to stay away from claims that are not necessarily true given the information provided in the stimulus - if a certain claim cannot be conclusively proven as "true," then that claim will be incorrect. However, the fact that an answer choice is stated as a mere possibility does not render it incorrect: what if that possibility is provably true, given the information we have? As long as you have proof that the possibility exists, such an answer should be a strong contender. In fact, mere possibilities are among the easiest things to prove, because they require very little in terms of evidence. Not surprisingly, such answer choices are often correct in MBT questions.

Let me give you an example:

Let's say I told you that I purchased a fancy car last Christmas, because I wanted to take advantage of their annual year-end sales event. Which of these two answers can we prove to be true?

• (A) Year-end sales events can motivate potential customers to purchase a fancy new car.
  (B) To convince customers to purchase a fancy new car, dealerships must offer year-end sales events.

As you can see (A) is worded as a possibility, which is easily provable - you have an example (me) proving that such sales events can provide a motivation for buyers to purchase a car. By contrast, we cannot prove (B) - its language is way too definitive and overreaching.

Possibilities are easily provable. Certainties - not so much.

Let me know if this makes sense.

Thanks!