Claude: When I'm having lunch with job candidates, I watch to see if they salt their food without first tasting it. ...

Katherine on May 1, 2019

Hi @jamesteemartin,

I’m happy to help. The question asks you pick the answer that describes the principle Larissa invokes by offering her two analogies.

First, let’s review the exchange between Claude and Larissa. Claude says that his negatively judges job candidates who salt their food before trying it, because it shows him that they make decisions based on inadequate information. Larissa thinks that’s silly and gives two examples in which she makes a decision before figuring out the exact facts of the current situation. She says she always wears a sweater into a grocery store because she knows it will be too cold and she always throws away offers for new credit cards that she receives in the mail.

What is the principle that Larissa is getting at by sharing these examples? Her point is that sometimes we do things by habit because we know general facts that are likely to apply to the specific circumstance. She doesn’t think that such behavior is evidence of bad decision making as Claude suggested. This is the principle described precisely in Answer A, therefore it is the correct choice.

Now, let’s take a look at Answer C. Answer C describes a different principle - conclusion about job suitability shouldn’t be drawn from behavior in situations that are not directly job related or indicative of a pattern of behavior. This answer is tempting, because it is a principle that applies to Claude’s silly conclusion. However, the question asks you to pick the principle that Larissa was invoking by offering her two examples. Larissa’s examples do not apply to this principle. Larissa’s examples are not about how conclusions for job suitability should be drawn. Instead, they are examples of times in her life when she does something without specific knowledge of the current circumstance, but based on a policy she has developed given general knowledge about the circumstances. Because Answer C describes a different principle, it is not the correct choice.

I hope this is helpful. Please reach out with other questions!