The correct answer is (E).
(E) Inference (EXCEPT)
Step 1: Identify the Question Type
The correct answer will be logically determined based on a set of statements. That makes this an Inference question. However, this question contains an EXCEPT. Four of the answers (the wrong ones) all "could be true." The correct answer will be the exceptionÑthe one that must be false (i.e., the one that is impossible).
Step 2: Untangle the Stimulus
The chairperson starts by comparing two candidates: Modernist Maples is a better candidate than Traditionalist Tannet. The chairperson then makes an even bolder claim: every Modern Party member would be better than any Traditionalist Party member.
Step 3: Make a Prediction
In all, the comparison is merely between two parties. Anyone who is a member of the Modern Party is more qualified than anyone who is a member of the Traditionalist Party. The different members within each party may vary in quality, but even the worst member of the Modern Party will be more qualified than the best member of the Traditionalist Party. The correct answer will contradict that claim.
Step 4: Evaluate the Answer Choices
(E) must be false and is thus correct. Tannet is a Traditionalist, and the chairperson is a Modernist. By the bold claim of the stimulus, the chairperson must be more qualified than Tannet, not the other way around.
(A) could be true because it is Out of Scope. The information only discusses qualifications, not seniority. Furthermore, even if Maples was in the Traditionalist Party before, he's not now, and the chairperson's claim did not extend to previous members of the partiesÑonly current members. So, (A) is possible.
(B) could be true. Tannet is less qualified than any Modern Party member, but there is no way to know how Tannet compares to other members of the Traditionalist Party.
(C) could be true because it is Out of Scope. The question is only based on the chairperson's bold claims. There is no way to determine what other residents believe.
(D) could be true. There is no way to determine how Maples compares to other Modern Party members. All that matters is that, even if Maples is the worst Modern Party candidate, he is still better than any of those Traditionalist members.
