PrepTest 113 · Section 3 · Question 20

Ms. Rivera's Lost-and-Found Puzzle

The trickiest job at school is the lost-and-found when three kids all say, 'That jacket is mine!' Ms. Rivera has a method. First, she cuts down the list of claims, maybe by ignoring kids who have claimed six jackets this month (looking at you, Marcus). Then, when two or three claims are still left, which happens a lot, she tries to settle it without listening to the kids at all. She checks for a name tag, a candy wrapper in the pocket, or whether Biscuit sniffs it and wags. Sometimes this works. Sometimes it does not, and the jacket just sits on the hook. Lulu wrote it all on her clipboard and underlined one word: sometimes.

When several kids claim the same jacket, Ms. Rivera first narrows the claims by dropping the least believable ones. When a few claims remain, which is common, she tries to decide the owner without relying on what the kids say, though now and then she cannot.

The information above best supports which one of the following?

The Case of the Two Birthdays

Judge Kenji Ward faced a puzzle: two family records gave a parrot different hatch dates. 'Here is our method,' he announced. 'First, we set aside the record with smudges and crossed-out lines. Then, with the records that remain, we look for outside clues, like the pet shop's receipt or the vet's first visit.' Mr. Whitfield raised a finger. 'Your Honor, and if no outside clue turns up?' The judge sighed. 'Then, now and then, some hatch dates just cannot be settled.' The parrot squawked, possibly in protest. 'Noted,' said the judge, 'but not evidence.'