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31 May 2026, 05:39
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Strengthens: When the option to pause a commercial-free television program is available, the vast majority of people will do so at least once during a program.
Weakens: People shown to have especially long attention spans are no more likely to enjoy commercial-free television programs than are people with short attention spans.
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The results of a large study suggest that television viewers enjoy shows with commercials more than those without them. Test subjects who viewed an episode of a television series with commercials rated it more enjoyable than did subjects who viewed the same episode commercial-free. The study’s researchers concluded that a viewer’s enjoyment of a program depends a great deal on how well one can maintain attention, reasoning that commercial breaks enable viewers to reset their attention.
In the columns, select the statement that, if true, would most strengthen the argument and the statement that, if true, would most weaken the argument. Make only two selections, one in each column.
In the columns, select the statement that, if true, would most strengthen the argument and the statement that, if true, would most weaken the argument. Make only two selections, one in each column.
| Strengthens | Weakens | |
| Television programs tend to hold viewers’ attention better when they have shorter commercial breaks. | ||
| Television programs with commercial breaks have often been edited to allow time for the insertion of the breaks. | ||
| When the option to pause a commercial-free television program is available, the vast majority of people will do so at least once during a program. | ||
| People shown to have especially long attention spans are no more likely to enjoy commercial-free television programs than are people with short attention spans. | ||
| Commercial-free television programming tends to be of lower production quality than that shown with commercials. |
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Official Answer
Strengthens: When the option to pause a commercial-free television program is available, the vast majority of people will do so at least once during a program.
Weakens: People shown to have especially long attention spans are no more likely to enjoy commercial-free television programs than are people with short attention spans.
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31 May 2026, 05:41
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Answer Explanation (Official):
Evaluate :
Based on the study’s results and an assumption that commercial breaks enable viewers to reset their attention, the researchers argued that viewers’ enjoyment of a program depends largely on how well the viewers can maintain attention. A finding that most people pause commercial-free television programs when given the option might suggest that people like to take breaks from viewing to reset their attention, in order to enjoy the programs more. Thus, this finding would strengthen the argument.
On the other hand, a finding that people with especially long attention spans don’t enjoy commercial-free television programs any more than people with shorter attention spans do would conflict with the researchers’ hypothesis that enjoyment of a program depends on how well one can maintain attention during it. Therefore, this finding would weaken the argument.
Strengthens:
The correct answer is When the option to pause a commercial-free television program is available, the vast majority of people will do so at least once during a program.
Weakens:
The correct answer is People shown to have especially long attention spans are no more likely to enjoy commercial-free television programs than are people with short attention spans.
Evaluate :
Based on the study’s results and an assumption that commercial breaks enable viewers to reset their attention, the researchers argued that viewers’ enjoyment of a program depends largely on how well the viewers can maintain attention. A finding that most people pause commercial-free television programs when given the option might suggest that people like to take breaks from viewing to reset their attention, in order to enjoy the programs more. Thus, this finding would strengthen the argument.
On the other hand, a finding that people with especially long attention spans don’t enjoy commercial-free television programs any more than people with shorter attention spans do would conflict with the researchers’ hypothesis that enjoyment of a program depends on how well one can maintain attention during it. Therefore, this finding would weaken the argument.
Strengthens:
The correct answer is When the option to pause a commercial-free television program is available, the vast majority of people will do so at least once during a program.
Weakens:
The correct answer is People shown to have especially long attention spans are no more likely to enjoy commercial-free television programs than are people with short attention spans.
31 May 2026, 06:05
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Solid Two-Part Analysis question, and the weaken option is the one that trips people up here.
The argument structure: commercial breaks help viewers reset their attention, and that's why shows with commercials are enjoyed more. The whole argument rests on the assumption that enjoyment depends on how well you can maintain attention.
For the strengthen column, you're looking for evidence that directly supports the mechanism (attention-resetting).
Option 3 (pause option): If most people voluntarily pause commercial-free programs when given the chance, that's strong behavioral evidence that viewers do in fact seek out those attention-resetting breaks. It's not just that they tolerate commercials — they're actively recreating the same function when it's absent. This directly supports the "attention reset" explanation. Strengthens.
For the weaken column, you want something that challenges the core assumption that attention maintenance drives enjoyment.
Option 4 (long attention spans): This one requires careful reading. The argument hinges on attention affecting enjoyment. If people with long attention spans — who by definition have less need to reset attention — enjoy commercial-free programs no more than people with short spans, that's a problem for the argument. It implies attention span isn't what's driving enjoyment differences, which undercuts the whole mechanism. Weakens.
The options that trip people:
Option 1 (shorter commercial breaks work better): This could seem like it weakens, but it's actually consistent with the mechanism — shorter breaks can still reset attention, just less efficiently. Doesn't clearly weaken.
Option 5 (lower production quality): This seems like a clean alternative explanation (commercial-free shows just aren't as good), but the question is asking about the argument that attention-resetting is the key factor. Option 4 does more direct damage to the underlying mechanism.
Answer: Strengthens = Option 3, Weakens = Option 4.
The argument structure: commercial breaks help viewers reset their attention, and that's why shows with commercials are enjoyed more. The whole argument rests on the assumption that enjoyment depends on how well you can maintain attention.
For the strengthen column, you're looking for evidence that directly supports the mechanism (attention-resetting).
Option 3 (pause option): If most people voluntarily pause commercial-free programs when given the chance, that's strong behavioral evidence that viewers do in fact seek out those attention-resetting breaks. It's not just that they tolerate commercials — they're actively recreating the same function when it's absent. This directly supports the "attention reset" explanation. Strengthens.
For the weaken column, you want something that challenges the core assumption that attention maintenance drives enjoyment.
Option 4 (long attention spans): This one requires careful reading. The argument hinges on attention affecting enjoyment. If people with long attention spans — who by definition have less need to reset attention — enjoy commercial-free programs no more than people with short spans, that's a problem for the argument. It implies attention span isn't what's driving enjoyment differences, which undercuts the whole mechanism. Weakens.
The options that trip people:
Option 1 (shorter commercial breaks work better): This could seem like it weakens, but it's actually consistent with the mechanism — shorter breaks can still reset attention, just less efficiently. Doesn't clearly weaken.
Option 5 (lower production quality): This seems like a clean alternative explanation (commercial-free shows just aren't as good), but the question is asking about the argument that attention-resetting is the key factor. Option 4 does more direct damage to the underlying mechanism.
Answer: Strengthens = Option 3, Weakens = Option 4.
