16Hit1600
Information and IdeasVery hardInference from where errors cluster

Information and Ideas practice question

Proofreaders miss more errors in the final pages of a long document than in the first pages, even when the final pages are read first. The most reasonable interpretation is that ____

Which choice most logically completes the text?

  1. A. the final pages themselves contain something that makes errors harder to spot, since reading order does not explain the difference.Correct
  2. B. proofreaders grow tired as they read.
  3. C. the first pages of a document contain no errors.
  4. D. proofreaders read the final pages more carefully.

Answer: A. the final pages themselves contain something that makes errors harder to spot, since reading order does not explain the difference.

If fatigue explained it, reading the final pages first would remove the effect. It doesn't, so the cause lies in the pages, not the order.

Why the other answers are wrong

B. proofreaders grow tired as they read.
Fatigue would predict the OPPOSITE when the final pages are read first.
C. the first pages of a document contain no errors.
Errors are missed in the first pages too, only fewer.
D. proofreaders read the final pages more carefully.
More careful reading would produce fewer misses, not more.

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