Logical reasoning PrepTest 104 · Section 4 · Question 21

Question prompt

Words like "employee," "payee," Remaining source text redacted.
Why the credited answer is right

Credited answer: D

The notes below walk through why it fits the stem and how to eliminate the rest.

Argument or Facts

Argument

Valid or Flawed

Flawed

Question Type

Methods of Reasoning Questions

Stimulus Summary

General rule - -ee words specify someone affected by another’s action
Counterexample - Absentee, which, if anything, refers to the person being absent
New rule - The general rule above applies only when there’s a two-party transaction

Answer Anticipation

The stimulus here is certainly unique!
It puts forward a general rule, but it then raises a counterexample to it. That’s not the weird part.
After putting forward the counterexample, it then goes on to try to “resolve[] the impasse” - it adds a new criteria to the general rule to get around the counterexample.
We need to describe how it deals with that counterexample. It doesn’t dismiss it, or show how it doesn’t apply. Instead, it adds a new “piece” to the general rule to take into account that the original rule had an exception. The new rule, however, doesn’t apply to the counterexample, so it no longer has an exception, even if it is limited to fewer words.

Answer choices

  1. A
    provides additional support for Remaining source text redacted.
    Why choice A is not credited
    The argument concedes that the counterexample is, in fact, an exception to the rule. It then adapts to rule to no longer apply to the counterexample!

  2. B
    dismisses the counterexample on Remaining source text redacted.
    Why choice B is not credited
    The argument doesn’t dismiss the counterexample. Rather, it adapts the rule so that it no longer applies to it.

  3. C
    concedes that the proposed Remaining source text redacted.
    Why choice C is not credited
    The argument adapts the general rule so that it no longer applies to the counterexample - it doesn’t just accept that the general rule has an exception!

  4. D
    narrows the scope of Remaining source text redacted.
    Why choice D matches the stem
    This answer reflects the argument’s method of addressing the counterexample - adapting the general rule so that it no longer includes a case that breaks it! By adding the new criteria to the rule, it narrows the scope of it, making this the correct answer.

  5. E
    shows how replacing the Remaining source text redacted.
    Why choice E is not credited
    The counterexample isn’t spurious - it’s a valid counterexample to the general rule. (If you don’t know what “spurious” means, look it up! The LSAT recycles LSAT, so it’s good to learn new words.)

What this tests

Question analytics

Based on historical answer selection rates for this question.

Answer choice distribution

  1. A 17%
  2. B 4%
  3. C 10%
  4. D Credited 51%
  5. E 18%

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