#11 - Rose: The book is either by Deerson or else by Jones; I’m not sure which.

[Administrator]

Please post your questions below!

[saiffshaikhh@gmail.com]

Please post your questions below!

If this question type is for Parallel Flaw or Reasoning, could you explain why it D fits best? I got the correct answer but I wanted a formal explanation.

[Amber Thomas]

Hi Saiffshaikhh!

Let's break down our stimulus into a more digestible format:

X = The Book
A = Deerson
B = Jones
C = Published by Quince.

X is either A, or B. Both A and B are usually C. Therefore, X is probably C.

Answer Choice D states: "Margarethe the Second was born either in Luppingshavn or else in Kindelberg. Most of the people in each city then were of Mondarian descent, so Margarethe probably had Mondarian ancestors."

Let's break this down the same way we did our stimulus:

X = Margarethe the Second
A = Luppingshavn
B = Kindelberg
C = of Mondarian Descent

X is either A or B. Both A and B are mostly C. Therefore, X is probably C.

This mirrors our stimulus exactly. One of the most important factors in parallel reasoning are our descriptors-- our stimulus uses "generally" and "probably," which are both non-definitive terms. Therefore, you can rule out any Answer Choice that uses definitive language. Breaking the stimulus and Answer Choices down into simplistic structures can help cut away some of the complexity of trying to parse out whether or not the Answer Choices match up.

I hope this helps!