Just as a bicycle chain may be too tight, so may one’s carefulness and

Question

Just as a bicycle chain may be too tight, so may one’s carefulness and conscientiousness be so tense as to hinder the running of one’s mind.

Which one of the following most closely parallels the reasoning used in the argument above?

(A) Just as a clock may be wound too tightly, so may one’s time be spent fruitlessly in the pursuit of perfection.
(B) Just as a carousel may spin too quickly, so may one’s rapid concentration on several problems prevent a resolution of difficulties.
(C) Just as a machine may be oiled too much, so may one’s heavy drinking of alcoholic beverages lead to complete dissipation.
(D) Just as a raging river may be frozen into stillness during the winter, so may one’s career falter at certain times of the year.
(E) Just as a boxer may become too tense before a big fight, so may one’s personal concerns stand in the way of professional success.

Bunuel · Answer

Check out TWIN Weaken here: https://gmatclub.com/forum/just-as-a-bi ... 14656.html

Apt0810 · Answer

Hi Bunuel, the answer for this question should be option B

Posted from my mobile device

Bunuel · Answer

You are absolutely right. Edited. Thank you.

Akshay517 · Answer

I choose C from C and B. I would like to know if I am missing something. Why is C wrong ?

Adityasekar · Answer

I was unable to pick an answer between B and C? Please provide some clarity on this.

AndrewN · Answer

What a fun LSAT-style question. It seems as though some people are having trouble between (B) and (C). Of course, since we are asked to follow a similar line of reasoning as the one presented in the passage, we need to have a clear picture of what the reasoning looks like:

There is an analogy here.  A bicycle chain  may be  too tight  and thereby hinder the proper functioning of the bicycle :  one's carefulness and conscientiousness  may be  so tense as to  hinder   the proper functioning of one's mind. The connection could not be any tighter. Getting to our two shortlisted answer choices...

Keep in mind, the bicycle chain needs to be tightened to a point to allow the bicycle to function properly. Here, a carousel needs to spin for the ride to work properly. But if the carousel spins too quickly, it  hinders  the proper functioning of the ride. The second part of this comparison goes into a mental process, similar to what we saw in part two of the passage. Here, concentration is necessary to resolve difficulties, but too  rapid  a concentration, on  several problems  at that,  prevents  or  hinders  the proper  resolution of difficulties . Everything fits.

A machine may need to be oiled to function properly, but too much oil leads to... what? A mess? Does it  necessarily   hinder  the machine from functioning properly? Maybe, maybe not. But what happens when we jump across the comma? We get an action,  drinking , which cannot be said to be necessary for a human to function properly. Yes,  heavy drinking  will certainly inhibit or  hinder  proper functioning, but then we get this overreaching  complete dissipation . Are we to interpret this as a  complete breakdown ? If so, this result would  not  parallel the outcome of the passage, the  hindering  of proper function instead. If, on the other hand, we take  complete dissipation  at face value to mean  complete overindulgence , or a descent into drunkenness, then what does that have to do with a well-oiled machine? Does such a machine break down entirely? That is speculative at best. Does the machine overindulge? Impossible, unless we are talking about an  intelligent  machine. In any case, we are meant to tie the answer choice back into an analogy based on inhibiting the proper functioning of something, nothing more. This answer fails to deliver.

I would be happy to discuss the question further, or any other answer choices, should someone still be curious.

- Andrew

Thekingmaker · Answer

For me it was a big tug of war between B and the river however the method of elemination will be foretold , we require an argument that which can act counteractively such as the bicycle chain which has work normally as free circiling and it's happening with similar analogy with the aid of some of the elements such as perfectionisim frivolous thinking etc, the closest that resembels B however my stoppage for D was that river didn't move just like the clock which made me think and eleminate and arrive at the IMO B

Ayushi0002 · Answer

I found that looking for external v/s the internal factors was helpful in reaching OA. 
All others except B point out to a factor which is external - Time, Alcohol, Season/some other career related factor, and in E too. Only B suggests concentration which is an internal factor and is reasoned parallel almost perfectly with the bike analogy.

VerbalBot · Answer

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Just as a bicycle chain may be too tight, so may one’s carefulness and

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