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All of the historical novels published by Sterling Press feature a female protagonist. Furthermore, none of the books nominated for this year's National Fiction Prize feature a female protagonist. However, several books published by Sterling Press were nominated for the National Fiction Prize this year.

Which one of the following statements is most strongly supported by the information above?

  1. At least some books published by Sterling Press are not historical novels.Answer
  2. B
    All books published by Sterling Press that feature a female protagonist are historical novels.
  3. C
    Most of the books published by Sterling Press are not historical novels.
  4. D
    Historical novels are generally less likely to be nominated for the National Fiction Prize than other genres.
  5. E
    Any book published by Sterling Press that is not a historical novel does not feature a female protagonist.

Answer

At least some books published by Sterling Press are not historical novels.
The correct answer accurately synthesizes the premises without overstating the conclusion. We know that several books published by Sterling Press were nominated for the prize. We also know that none of the nominated books feature a female protagonist. Therefore, those specific Sterling Press books do not feature a female protagonist. Because the stimulus states that all historical novels published by Sterling Press DO feature a female protagonist, those nominated books cannot possibly be historical novels. Thus, it is fully proven that at least some books published by Sterling Press are not historical novels.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the first premise regarding Sterling Press historical novels.
Rule 1: If a book is a historical novel published by Sterling Press, it must feature a female protagonist.
This establishes a conditional relationship necessary for deductions.
2
Analyze the second premise regarding the National Fiction Prize nominees.
Rule 2: If a book is nominated for the National Fiction Prize this year, it does not feature a female protagonist.
This establishes a second conditional relationship.
3
Combine the first two rules using their contrapositives.
Since nominees have no female protagonists, and Sterling Press historical novels must have female protagonists, no nominee can be a Sterling Press historical novel.
Chaining conditional statements reveals what must be true when conditions overlap.
4
Apply the final premise to the combined rule.
We know several Sterling Press books were nominated. Based on Step 3, these specific books cannot be historical novels.
Applying the general rule to the specific subset of books provides the final deduction.
5
Formulate the final conclusion.
Because we know of 'several' Sterling Press books that are not historical novels, it is absolutely true that 'at least some' books published by Sterling Press are not historical novels.
This is a safe, strictly supported inference.

Key Concept

Chaining conditional statements and combining them with existential quantifiers (some/several) to derive a proven inference.
Estimated Time:1m 30s
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