PrepTest 157 · Section 2 · Question 13

The Jump Rope in the Old Lot

Everyone on Maple Street said the older crew, the ones who lived there before the new families arrived, just sat on the curb and traded cards. Never played a single game. Then Lulu, digging behind the shed in the old lot, found a frayed jump rope next to faded chalk squares. "Aha!" she said. "They played rope games!" Marcus wasn't sure. "Maybe they used that rope to tie their bikes to the fence. Or to drag their card boxes around." Priya nodded. "That's the weak spot. If the rope did some other job, it proves nothing about games." Lulu dug deeper and found Aunt Rosa's old notebook: Bikes were locked with chains, and card boxes had handles. Lulu grinned. "Now the rope has no other job left. It was for jumping."

People believe the older crew on Maple Street never played games. But Lulu found an old jump rope next to worn chalk squares from before the new families arrived. So the belief is wrong: the older crew played rope games.

Suppose each choice were true. Which one gives Lulu's argument the biggest boost?

The Ladder by the Window

The prosecutor said a ladder found under a window proved the defendant climbed in. Mr. Whitfield, for the defense, stood up. "Your Honor, ladders do many things. My client paints houses. He cleans gutters." The prosecutor called a new witness, the homeowner. "The house was painted ten years ago. The gutters were cleaned from the roof hatch. Nobody needed a ladder there for any chore." The judge looked at Mr. Whitfield. "Counselor, the other jobs for that ladder seem to have vanished." Mr. Whitfield sat down slowly. "Then I suppose the ladder now points one direction, Your Honor." The jury leaned in.