Group 7 Question 33: Great sports coaches don't believe...

Great sports coaches don’t believe that practice makes perfect, they believe that practice makes permanent. As repeated practice of a variety of moves, drills, plays, and formations in a sport like football make them easier for a player to recall, coaches should emphasize practice to produce muscle memory in their players.

The suggestion by great coaches, if true, most strongly supports which of the following conclusions?

A. Players can and should draw upon prior, ingrained experiences to perform better on the field. Correct

can be a conclusion

B. At least some players perfectly recall every play after practicing it once. Incorrect

some players is irrelevant, generalization needed

C. Perfectly recalling every detail of a practiced play does not require repeated practice. Incorrect

oppose the argument

D. Generalizing from past experiences can be achieved with minimal commitment to repetition. Incorrect

oppose the argument

E. Consistent practice would be incompatible with the goals of any great sports coach. Incorrect

oppose the argument

Official Explanation:

Great sports coaches don’t believe that practice makes perfect, they believe that practice makes permanent. As repeated practice of a variety of moves, drills, plays, and formations in a sport like football make them easier for a player to recall, coaches should emphasize practice to produce muscle memory in their players.

The suggestion by great coaches, if true, most strongly supports which of the following conclusions?

A. Players can and should draw upon prior, ingrained experiences to perform better on the field.
B. At least some players perfectly recall every play after practicing it once.
C. Perfectly recalling every detail of a practiced play does not require repeated practice.
D. Generalizing from past experiences can be achieved with minimal commitment to repetition.
E. Consistent practice would be incompatible with the goals of any great sports coach.

Question Type: Strengthen
Boil It Down: Great sports coaches believe practice creates muscle memory, which makes players better - but not necessarily perfect. Repetition makes it easier for players to remember what to do without having to think about it.
Goal: Find the option that would make the best conclusion for this statement.

Analysis:
This question is asking you to look at the evidence provided by the coaches and their experiences, and find the conclusion that best fits with this evidence. Based on what you’ve read, what would be the best thing to tell players about the importance of practice?

A. Players can and should draw upon prior, ingrained experiences to perform better on the field.
A is correct because it most closely aligns with the concept of “practice makes permanent.”

B. At least some players perfectly recall every play after practicing it once.
B is incorrect because it suggests that repeated practice is unnecessary for performance.

C. Perfectly recalling every detail of a practiced play does not require repeated practice.
C is incorrect for the same reason B is.

D. Generalizing from past experiences can be achieved with minimal commitment to repetition.
D is incorrect for the same reasons B and C are.

E. Consistent practice would be incompatible with the goals of any great sports coach.
E is incorrect because it suggests that great sports coaches are invested in consistency and performance.


Don’t study for the GMAT. Train for it.

Great job winterschool, acegmat20, and DinoPen!

You all cracked the code on this one - kudos to you, and we look forward to more great explanations from you all on the next question!