PrepTest 78, Section 2, Question 23

Difficulty:

A spy fails by being caught, and it is normally only through being caught that spies reveal their methods. The successful spy is never caught. So the available data are skewed: One can learn a lot about what makes a spy fail but very little about what makes a spy succeed.

Question

Which one of the following arguments is most similar in its reasoning to the argument above?

Of those who participated in the marathon, some succeeded and others failed. But those who did not participate at all neither succeeded nor failed, since both success and failure require participation.

People who are aware of their motives can articulate them. But unconscious motives are usually impossible to acknowledge. So people are more likely to hear about other people's conscious motives than their unconscious ones.

It is unclear whether the company�s venture succeeded, because the criteria for its success are undefined. But if the venture had had a measurable goal, then it would have been possible to judge its success.

A teacher is someone who teaches. In addition, there are people who teach but are not called teachers. So while the number of those called teachers is large, the number of those who teach is even larger.

Because someone intervened in the conflict, the effects of that intervention can be discerned. But since no one can investigate what does not happen, it is impossible to discern what would have happened had someone not intervened.

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