Logical reasoning PrepTest 111 · Section 4 · Question 2

Correct. Argument or Facts:
Argument

Valid or Flawed:
Flawed

Question Type:
Argument Structure

Stimulus Summary:
There's growing dissatisfaction with the bureaucracy's complexity, but bureaucracies resist change, so the system is unlikely to be simplified.

Answer Anticipation:
The clearest structural indicator word in this stimulus is Thus, introducing a conclusion. However, there's a portion of that sentence that isn't a part of the conclusion—the "despite." Despite conveys an idea that seems to cut against the conclusion, even though the author accepts it as true. So that statement is a premise that highlights a reason to think the conclusion might not be true, while the opening line is a reason to believe that it is true.

That opening line is the statement in question, so let's find an answer stating that it's a premise supporting the conclusion, which provides a reason to believe a certain problem won't be addressed.

Answer Explanation:
This answer describes the statement in question as a premise and it correctly restates the conclusion, so this is the correct answer.

Key Takeaway:
Especially on the earlier Argument Structure/Main Point questions, rely heavily on structural keywords to help you tackle them quickly!

Incorrect. It is not a conclusion, and the statement that it says here is support for it actually presents a problem that the statement in question is going to frustrate.

Incorrect. The argument never states that bureaucratic systems are becoming increasingly complex.50375,Incorrect. The claim is never made that bureaucracies should be simplified. Even if such a claim were made, the statement in question wouldn't weaken it—it would just present a reason that it might be hard to follow through on.

Incorrect. This answer reverses the logic—it's a premise supporting that conclusion, not a conclusion supported by that statement.