- PowerScore Staff
- Posts: 8917
- Joined: Feb 02, 2011
- Fri Jun 30, 2017 6:46 pm
#36628
Complete Question Explanation
Resolve the Paradox. The correct answer choice is (A)
When throwing the ball with young kids, adults usually try to help out the kids by throwing the
ball as slowly as possible, in an effort to compensate for the fact that young kids have not yet fully
developed their coordination. Recent studies show, however, that children have an easier time when
balls are thrown at greater speeds.
There appears to be a contradiction between the adult’s attempt to compensate for the lack of
coordination development by throwing slowly, and the fact that kids actually have an easier time
with faster throws, so it should come as no surprise that the stimulus is followed by a Resolve the
Paradox question.
The correct answer choice to a Resolve the Paradox question will be consistent with both of the
apparently inconsistent premises, providing some insight into why faster throws appear easier for
children to catch than slower throws.
Answer choice (A): This is the correct answer choice, and the one that explains how it is that
children have an easier time catching faster throws despite the fact that they have not yet fully
developed their coordination. If, as this choice provides, faster throws elicit instinctive reactions
from parts of a child’s brain, this would explain why children might, under such circumstances,
display a greater ability level.
Answer choice (B): Again, the correct answer choice should help to explain why young kids have
an easier time catching faster pitches. This answer choice actually broadens the paradox, because
it provides another reason to believe that kids would prefer slower pitches—because a higher arc
should make the ball easier to see.
Answer choice (C): This answer choice does not resolve the paradox from the stimulus, and it may
actually make the paradox more difficult to understand. If adults prefer slower throws, this give us
yet another reason to expect that children, who haven’t yet even fully developed their coordination,
would prefer slower pitches as well. Since this choice provides no resolution, it cannot be the right
answer choice.
Answer choice (D): Although this speaks to a general preference for speed, it only discusses the
throwing side of the equation. Since this provides no insight into why children might prefer to catch
faster pitches, it does not resolve the paradox found in the stimulus and should thus be eliminated
from consideration.
Answer choice (C): This answer choice does not resolve the paradox from the stimulus, and it may
actually make the paradox more difficult to understand. If adults prefer slower throws, this give us
yet another reason to expect that children, who haven’t yet even fully developed their coordination,
would prefer slower pitches as well. Since this choice provides no resolution, it cannot be the right
answer choice.
Answer choice (D): Although this speaks to a general preference for speed, it only discusses the
throwing side of the equation. Since this provides no insight into why children might prefer to catch
faster pitches, it does not resolve the paradox found in the stimulus and should thus be eliminated
from consideration.
Answer choice (E): This choice simply provides that at a certain speed the balls thrown become
uncatchable, but this does not help to explain why the children would ever have a preference for
faster throw, so it can’t be the right answer choice to this Resolve question.
Resolve the Paradox. The correct answer choice is (A)
When throwing the ball with young kids, adults usually try to help out the kids by throwing the
ball as slowly as possible, in an effort to compensate for the fact that young kids have not yet fully
developed their coordination. Recent studies show, however, that children have an easier time when
balls are thrown at greater speeds.
There appears to be a contradiction between the adult’s attempt to compensate for the lack of
coordination development by throwing slowly, and the fact that kids actually have an easier time
with faster throws, so it should come as no surprise that the stimulus is followed by a Resolve the
Paradox question.
The correct answer choice to a Resolve the Paradox question will be consistent with both of the
apparently inconsistent premises, providing some insight into why faster throws appear easier for
children to catch than slower throws.
Answer choice (A): This is the correct answer choice, and the one that explains how it is that
children have an easier time catching faster throws despite the fact that they have not yet fully
developed their coordination. If, as this choice provides, faster throws elicit instinctive reactions
from parts of a child’s brain, this would explain why children might, under such circumstances,
display a greater ability level.
Answer choice (B): Again, the correct answer choice should help to explain why young kids have
an easier time catching faster pitches. This answer choice actually broadens the paradox, because
it provides another reason to believe that kids would prefer slower pitches—because a higher arc
should make the ball easier to see.
Answer choice (C): This answer choice does not resolve the paradox from the stimulus, and it may
actually make the paradox more difficult to understand. If adults prefer slower throws, this give us
yet another reason to expect that children, who haven’t yet even fully developed their coordination,
would prefer slower pitches as well. Since this choice provides no resolution, it cannot be the right
answer choice.
Answer choice (D): Although this speaks to a general preference for speed, it only discusses the
throwing side of the equation. Since this provides no insight into why children might prefer to catch
faster pitches, it does not resolve the paradox found in the stimulus and should thus be eliminated
from consideration.
Answer choice (C): This answer choice does not resolve the paradox from the stimulus, and it may
actually make the paradox more difficult to understand. If adults prefer slower throws, this give us
yet another reason to expect that children, who haven’t yet even fully developed their coordination,
would prefer slower pitches as well. Since this choice provides no resolution, it cannot be the right
answer choice.
Answer choice (D): Although this speaks to a general preference for speed, it only discusses the
throwing side of the equation. Since this provides no insight into why children might prefer to catch
faster pitches, it does not resolve the paradox found in the stimulus and should thus be eliminated
from consideration.
Answer choice (E): This choice simply provides that at a certain speed the balls thrown become
uncatchable, but this does not help to explain why the children would ever have a preference for
faster throw, so it can’t be the right answer choice to this Resolve question.