Preptest 36/section 3/question 21 Forum

[schand]

Aah, someone please explain this question! Thank you

[Emma.]

Aah, someone please explain this question! Thank you

You are asked to identify the mistake in the reasoning in one of the 2 speakers.

First of all, Sandy's reasoning is sound. She states that it is better to play the lottery when the pot is bigger, because then you stand to win more money. There is no mistake in this reasoning so you can eliminate A, C, and E.

Alex states that if there are less people playing, your chances of winning increase. This is fundamentally unsound. The chances of winning are dictated only by the numbers that come up. Sure if more people are playing there is a greater chance that you will have to share the pot, but that does not affect your chances of actually winning in the first place.

D is incorrect, it is pretty much the opposite of Alex' contention. According to Alex, if someone has won the previous week then there will be less people playing and Sandy will have an increased chance to win.

B represents Alex' mistake perfectly.

Hope this helps.