In an experiment, two-year-old boys and their fathers made pie dough

Question

In an experiment, two-year-old boys and their fathers made pie dough together using rolling pins and other utensils. Each father-son pair used a rolling pin that was distinctively different from those used by the other father-son pairs, and each father repeated the phrase "rolling pin" each time his son used it. But when the children were asked to identify all of the rolling pins among a group of kitchen utensils that included several rolling pins, each child picked only the one that he had used.

Which one of the following inferences is most supported by the information above?

(A) The children did not grasp the function of rolling pin
(B) No two children understood the name "rolling pin" to apply to the same object
(C) The children understood that all rolling pins have the same general shape
(D) Each child was able to identify correctly only the utensils that he had used
(E) The children were not able to distinguish the rolling pins they used from other rolling pins

MBAhereIcome · Accepted Answer

D is incorrect because the passage never indicated that the children could identify only the utensils that they used. rolling pins, yes; utensils, no. a rolling pin is a utensil, but there are other utensils as well, and the stimulus does not give us information about whether the children could identify those utensils.

chicagocubsrule · Answer

This is contrary to what we are told.

Clear B

icandy · Answer

Crooked one and it is B.

ngoctraiden1905 · Answer

B suggest that distinctively different rolling pins are considered different objects by each child. That explains why they can only choose the one they used

AmoyV · Answer

In an experiment, two-year-old boys and their fathers made pie dough together using rolling pins and other utensils. Each father-son pair used a rolling pin that was distinctively different from those used by the other father-son pairs, and each father repeated the phrase “rolling pin” each time his son used it. But when the children were asked to identify all of the rolling pins among a group of kitchen utensils that included several rolling pins, each child picked only the one that he had used. Which one of the following inferences is most supported by the information above?

a) The children did not grasp the function of a rolling pin. Most probably they did becuase they used the rolling pins in action. But over here the experiment tests something entirely different. It does not test the understanding of the function of the rolling pin by children but it tests whether children can identify a rolling pin.

b) No two children understood the name “rolling pin” to apply to the same object. Exactly, the children did not pick up other rolling pins but only the ones that they used for the pie dough. This shows that *all* of the children understood the name "rolling pin" to apply to one object, the object that they used.

c) The children understood that all rolling pins have the same general shape. No. On the contrary, the children understood that a rolling pin can only be 1.

d) Each child was able to identify correctly only the utensils that he had used. We do not know anything about what the children did with the other utensils during the experiment when children were asked to identify what they had used. We are only given information about rolling pins. What stands as true for one type of utensil, rolling pin, may not stand as true for the others.

e) The children were not able to distinguish the rolling pins they used from other rolling pins. The total opposite is suggested in the stem.

Skywalker18 · Answer

In an experiment, two-year-old boys and their fathers made pie dough together using rolling pins and other utensils. Each father-son pair used a rolling pin that was distinctively different from those used by the other father-son pairs, and each father repeated the phrase "rolling pin" each time his son used it. But when the children were asked to identify all of the rolling pins among a group of kitchen utensils that included several rolling pins, each child picked only the one that he had used.

Type - inference

(A) The children did not grasp the function of rolling pin - From the text, it seems possible that the children did understand the function of a rolling pin; certainly, they were able to identify the rolling pin they used.
(B) No two children understood the name "rolling pin" to apply to the same object - Correct - The answer must be true because we know that despite being asked to identify all the rolling pins, each child selected only the rolling pin he had used. No two children picked the same rolling pin and therefore no two children understood the name “rolling pin” to
apply to the same object.
(C) The children understood that all rolling pins have the same general shape - Incorrect - If this was true , then children would have chosen other rolling pins too
(D) Each child was able to identify correctly only the utensils that he had used - ISWAT - a rolling pin is a utensil, but there are other utensils as well, and the stimulus does not give us information about whether the children could identify those utensils.
(E) The children were not able to distinguish the rolling pins they used from other rolling pins - Incorrect - 180 answer

Answer B

vasuca10 · Answer

Which one of the following inferences is most supported by the information above?

(A) The children did not grasp the function of rolling pin
 Totally reverse...Infact they were able to grasp the function

(B) No two children understood the name "rolling pin" to apply to the same object

Because the children clearly distinguished one Rolling Pin from another.For every child, there was only one RP in the group of RP's and utensils. In his mind, there is only one RP and he picked that one.

(C) The children understood that all rolling pins have the same general shape

They did not understood that at all

(D) Each child was able to identify correctly only the utensils that he had used - They were able to identify the rolling pins also correctly which they used

(E) The children were not able to distinguish the rolling pins they used from other rolling pins- Reverse statement, Infact they were able to distinguish

SonGoku · Answer

Because of the above phrase the answer must be B.we need to take every argument into consideration when dealing with Inference questions.
 
D is wrong because we don't know whether he had used other utensils;Only is a strong word.

KB04 · Answer

In an experiment, two-year-old boys and their fathers made pie dough together using rolling pins and other utensils. Each father-son pair used a rolling pin that was distinctively different from those used by the other father-son pairs, and each father repeated the phrase "rolling pin" each time his son used it. But when the children were asked to identify all of the rolling pins among a group of kitchen utensils that included several rolling pins, each child picked only the one that he had used.
Which one of the following inferences is most supported by the information above?

(A) The children did not grasp the function of rolling pin - I think they did and that's how they were able to pick only the one that they have used earlier.
(B) No two children understood the name "rolling pin" to apply to the same object - That's how they know which one to pick.
(C) The children understood that all rolling pins have the same general shape - This can cause confusion and possibility of picking up wrong rolling pin. 
(D) Each child was able to identify correctly only the  utensils  that he had used
(E) The children  were not  able to distinguish the rolling pins they used from other rolling pins

Bunuel · Answer

OFFICIAL EXPLANATION:

The upshot of this interesting experiment is that each child associated the term “rolling pin” with only the exact object he had previously encountered, not with a category of objects that all serve the same purpose. So what can we infer from this? Since each boy only identified the rolling pin he and his father had used, and since all the rolling pins are different, we can infer (B): that no two boys associated the name “rolling pin” with the same object.

(A) There’s a subtle scope shift happening here; the children are asked to identify the pins, not explain how they’re used. The mere fact that they couldn’t extend the definition of rolling pin to other pins doesn’t mean they didn’t understand the function of the pin they did identify.

(C), if anything, runs counter to the stimulus, since the children did not seem to understand that the term “rolling pin” can refer to a category of objects. If (C) were true, chances are the boys would have been able to identify the other rolling pins in the room.

(D) Mind the scope! The conclusion deals only with rolling pins, so we have no right to extend this conclusion to include all the utensils used in the experiment.

(E) contradicts the stimulus. The children certainly could distinguish their own rolling pins from the others; otherwise, how could each child pick out from the rest of the rolling pins only the one he and his father had used?

• (D) is the odd man out here; all the other choices stick to rolling pins, while (D) gets wild and speaks of utensils in general. That earns a quick rejection.

• In inference questions, keep an eye out for au-contraire choices like choice (C) and choice (E)—choices that, far from inferable, actually run counter to the information in the stimulus.

abhishekdadarwal2009 · Answer

In an experiment, two-year-old boys and their fathers made pie dough together using rolling pins and other utensils. Each father-son pair used a rolling pin that was distinctively different from those used by the other father-son pairs, and each father repeated the phrase "rolling pin" each time his son used it. But when the children were asked to identify all of the rolling pins among a group of kitchen utensils that included several rolling pins, each child picked only the one that he had used.

Which one of the following inferences is most supported by the information above?

(A) The children did not grasp the function of rolling pin  The function of the rolling pin is out of scope, for the argument direction.
 (B) No two children understood the name "rolling pin" to apply to the same object  Correct option. lets test it, if we say two children were able to identify rolling pin to same object , then two children would pic same rolling pin and not distinct.This breaks the argument. so is correct inference.
 (C) The children understood that all rolling pins have the same general shape  shape is out of scope.
 (D) Each child was able to identify correctly only the utensils that he had used utensils are different than rolling pin, or atleast a separate entity in the argument.
 (E) The children were not able to distinguish the rolling pins they used from other rolling pins   out of scope.

Kritisood · Answer

I have a query with the answer choice A. If the children would have understood the functionality of the pins they would have no problem identifying any kind of rolling pin irrespective of the shape/size?

GMATNinja   egmat  request your inputs!

Balkrishna · Answer

Hi  Skywalker18 ,

I have read many of your explanations on the forum. Let me first thank you for helping all of us.

From you explanation of option C, I understand that option C is contrary to what is stated in the passage. What I understand is that all children had a belief that rolling pins can be of only 1 type and shape that is they used while cooking. Children had no idea that there could be any other item with different shape that can be called as rolling pin. All in all, each child in isolation had different perspective about the rolling pin but each child understood that there is only one general shape (i.e. the shape of the rolling pin that child used) of rolling pin. Accordingly, we can say that children (individually) understood that all rolling pins have the same general shape.

In view of above, why can't option C be correct.

Thank you.

kornn · Answer

Dear  VeritasKarishma   MartyTargetTestPrep   GMATGuruNY   AnthonyRitz   IanStewart ,

Although I know why choice B. is right, I'm not clear why choice A. is wrong?

If the children did in fact grasp the FUNCTION of rolling pin, then when asked to identify ALL rolling pins (according to the passage), they should be able to identify ALL of them, right?

The fact the each child picked only the one he/she used indicates that the child did not understand what rolling pin actually is and/or how it functions.

Why is this thinking wrong?

IanStewart · Answer

There is no necessary relationship between knowing an object's function and being able to identify that object. I know what the function of a time machine is, for example, but I wouldn't be able to recognize one. And I've seen designer chairs I had no idea were chairs at first, but I know what a chair is for. So answer A is not an inference from the passage. It is worded bizarrely, though; there seems to be an indefinite article missing.

kittle · Answer

EXACTLY; a very good point of differentiation that eliminates option D.

MS61 · Answer

(A) The children did not grasp the function of rolling pin –  Incorrect, Function vs name “rolling pin” , even though function was not aware, still with the name they could pick the one. 
(B) No two children understood the name "rolling pin" to apply to the same object –  Correct, they picked the one their father called “ rolling pin” 
(C) The children understood that all rolling pins have the same general shape –  Incorrect, then they would pick any out of all, but that is not the case.  
(D) Each child was able to identify correctly only the utensils that he had used –  Incorrect, Utensils vs name “rolling pins” 
(E) The children were not able to distinguish the rolling pins they used from other rolling pins –  Incorrect, Opposite/False, it is given they were able to

In an experiment, two-year-old boys and their fathers made pie dough

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In an experiment, two-year-old boys and their fathers made pie dough

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