PrepTest 116 · Section 2 · Question 15

The Last Day Crash

On the last day of school, every kid took their heavy books home. Ms. Rivera had a theory. "When the weight comes off, the brackets on some shelves pop loose," she said. "The wood springs back and pulls the screws." At 2:15, the reading corner shelf gave a long creak and crashed to the floor. Nobody was hurt. Biscuit, who was visiting, hid under a desk. "So emptying the shelves probably helped cause the crash," said Priya. Marcus frowned. "Maybe. But you'd need to show loose brackets actually make shelves fall." Owen held up a library book called Why Shelves Fall. "Chapter one: shelves usually crash because their own brackets came loose." Priya grinned. "Bridge built."

Ms. Rivera's theory says that when heavy books are taken off, the brackets on some shelves come loose. On the last day, after the books went home, the reading corner shelf crashed. So taking the books off likely helped cause the crash.

Which of these, if true, gives the most support to the argument?

The Collapsing Tent

A camper sued a campground after his tent fell over. "The ground crew drained the lake overnight," his lawyer said. "Experts say draining makes the soil around some tent stakes go loose. Then my client's tent fell. So the draining likely helped cause it." The campground's lawyer shrugged. "Loose soil, fine. But tents fall for many reasons." Mr. Whitfield, for the camper, called one more witness: a tent maker. "Tents nearly always fall because the soil around their own stakes loosened," she said. Mr. Whitfield turned to the bench. "Your Honor, that closes the gap. The draining loosens soil, and loose soil is what drops tents." The judge nodded. "Bridge accepted."