#22 - Nursing schools cannot attract a greater number of

[ellenb]

Thanks Beth, I forgot to include the ending of the statement, that is why you got confused.

I basically was asking if we have
A-->B-->C and D

So, if I have A I can conclude for sure that I have C (it can be one of the answer choices), however do I have to for sure say that I have D also if I have A or I can say that I have C only (since this is my answer choice).

Thanks

Ellen

[Nikki Siclunov]

A MBT question does not require you to produce an exhaustive answer of everything you know: it simply needs to be provable. So, if you have A, then certainly you have C and D. It must be true, therefore, that you have C. And it also must be true that you have D. Either would form a correct answer to a MBT question, provided that A is present.

Recall a question from Lesson 2 about Steven the certified psychoanalyst: we knew he was certified, but the correct answer choice merely stated that he's a psychoanalyst. Or, you may recall a question from Lesson 1 involving three tennis players waiting in the waiting room at an athletic office (John, Mary and Theresa). The correct answer choice omitted Mary, which wasn't a problem. You see a pattern? To answer a MBT question, the correct answer choice needs only state an inference that we can prove by using the facts contained in the stimulus.

[ellenb]

Thanks Nikki, those two questions were exactly what I thought when I asked my question. Just wanted to make sure I had it down.

Thanks a lot for the reference!

Ellen

[netherlands]

Hi there PS,

Just hoping you could confirm or correct my POE methods for this question so I can know whether they were on target:

A) Mistaken Reversal
C) Mistaken Reversal
B and D) I'm guessing that since the stimulus required us to diagram these as "either or" statements then it doesn't have to be true that either of these takes place - it becomes a could be true for both "lowering standards" and "nurse shortage" and so I guess at that point it doesn't make sense to infer one over the other?

Thank you!

[Steve Stein]

That's correct. With regard to "or" conditions, either one may hold true, but not necessarily both (this distinguishes them from "and" statements).

I hope that's helpful!

~Steve

[netherlands]

Kk. So even though "not necessarily both", still "possibly both". Right?

I feel like I need to constantly remember that, even in the logic games I sometimes still get thrown off with "either or" statements.

So "either A or B" = A can happen, B can happen, or both A and B.
Also can be interpreted as "If not A then B, If not B then A, possibly both.

What about when something says " either of the two must blah blah blah..." - what would that one mean? Same thing? I could totally see the test phrasing it that way just to freak someone out because the "or" is no longer explicitly present.

[Steve Stein]

Hey Netherlands,

That's a good question--they like confusing with that sort of thing. In this case, "Or" generally includes the possibility of both, as you correctly pointed out. And if it doesn't, the test-makers tend to make that pretty clear.

~Steve

[netherlands]

Ok, thank you!

[ellenb]

Dear Powerscore,

I have read the explanations and got this question right. However, I also liked the answers B and D, and I thought they make valid answers. Could you please let me know why they are wrong?

Thanks in advance!

Ellen

[Steve Stein]

Hi Ellen,

That one presents a series of conditional statements about the state of nursing:

Nursing schools can't get more applicants unless they solve wage and stress problems:

More applicants solve wage and stress problems

Contrapositive:

NOT solve problems NOT more applicants

If they don't get more applicants, that means either lower standards or a shortage:

lower standards
NOT more applicants or
shortage

Linking this with the contrapositive above, we get the following:

lower standards
NOT solve problems NOT more applicants or
shortage

Answer choice B:
NOT more applicants lower standards

We cannot confirm that schools will lower their standards because of the "or" in the stimulus diagram--there might be a shortage of nurses instead.

Answer choice D:
NOT solve problems shortage

We cannot confirm that this would lead to a shortage, for basically the same reason--the "or." The schools might lower their standards instead of having to deal with a shortage.

I hope that's helpful--please let me know whether this is clear--thanks!

~Steve
Steve Stein