For five years Mr. Brady was unable to pass the first round in The New

Question

For five years Mr. Brady was unable to pass the first round in The New South Hampton Cake contest. On the sixth year, his cake won the competition.

Which of the following statements, if true, helps to explain the apparent discrepancy above?

A) Mr. Brady submitted the same cake in all six seasons.

B) In his third contest, Mr. Brady's third consecutive failure can be at least partially attributed to the large bite marks which were discernible on the side of the cake.

C) Whereas the first five competitions were held on a Sunday, the sixth was held on a Saturday.

D) Mr. Brady switched in his fourth contest from a lemon-peppermint cheese cake to a rum chocolate fudge cake.

E) In light of the long truck drive from Mr. Brady's farm to the competition, Mr. Brady finally agreed, before the sixth competition, to add a preservative to his cakes.

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Ayeka · Answer

For five years Mr. Brady was unable to pass the first round in The New South Hampton Cake contest. On the sixth year, his cake won the competition.

Which of the following statements, if true, helps to explain the apparent discrepancy above?

A) Mr. Brady submitted the same cake in all six seasons. (If this was true, he wouldn’t have won the 6th competition) NO

B) In his third contest, Mr. Brady's third consecutive failure can be at least partially attributed to the large bite marks which were discernible on the side of the cake. NO

C) Whereas the first five competitions were held on a Sunday, the sixth was held on a Saturday. (The day on which competition was held can’t be a possible reason for his failure in first 5 contests.) NO

D) Mr. Brady switched in his fourth contest from a lemon-peppermint cheese cake to a rum chocolate fudge cake. NO

E) In light of the long truck drive from Mr. Brady's farm to the competition, Mr. Brady finally agreed, before the sixth competition, to add a preservative to his cakes. CORRECT (If Mr. Brady doesn’t add any preservative to his cake in the first five competitions, then it is possible that his cake was already spoiled before it could be presented in the competition. If in his 6th competition, he added preservatives then his cake was intact and hence won the competition. This properly explains the apparent discrepancy.)

Answer: E

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Shwarma · Answer

Option E
 
Pretty straight fwd
he did something in sixth year that is different 
and option E is the only one that deals with it

Bunuel · Answer

OFFICIAL EXPLANATION

For five years Mr. Brady was unable to pass the first round in The New South Hampton Cake contest. On the sixth year, his cake won the competition.

Which of the following statements, if true, helps to explain the apparent discrepancy above?

A) Mr. Brady submitted the same cake in all six seasons.

Incorrect.

This is a Paradox question, so it is made up of premises only; you need to find a new premise which best resolves the apparent discrepancy between the existing premises:

Premise A: For 5 years Mr. Brady's cakes didn't make it past the first round.
✖
Premise B: Suddenly, on the sixth year he took the grand prize.

Resolving Premise: ?

This answer choice emphasizes the paradox rather than resolves it. If Mr. Brady submitted the same cake in all the contests, why did he only win the sixth?

B) In his third contest, Mr. Brady's third consecutive failure can be at least partially attributed to the large bite marks which were discernible on the side of the cake.

Incorrect.

This answer choice does a great job at explaining why Mr. Brady didn't with the third competition, but what about the other four failures? The paradox of Mr. Brady's other 4 failures and his outstanding success on his sixth attempt remains unresolved.

C) Whereas the first five competitions were held on a Sunday, the sixth was held on a Saturday.

Incorrect.

This answer choice gives us a difference between the first 5 contests and the 6th, but not one that resolves the paradox. We don't know how the change in the day of the week affected the outcome of the contest, so the paradox remains unresolved.

D) Mr. Brady switched in his fourth contest from a lemon-peppermint cheese cake to a rum chocolate fudge cake.

Incorrect.

This answer choice shows a difference between Mr. Brady's cakes, but as it occured between the third and fourth contests, it cannot help to explain the change between the fifth and the sixth contests.

E) In light of the long truck drive from Mr. Brady's farm to the competition, Mr. Brady finally agreed, before the sixth competition, to add a preservative to his cakes.

This answer choice is the only one that gives us a good reason at the right time - between the fifth and sixth contests. If the first five cakes got ruined on the way, they stood no chance of success. With the addition of the preservative, the new cake did. Paradox resolved!

For five years Mr. Brady was unable to pass the first round in The New

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