Logical reasoning PrepTest 112 · Section 1 · Question 1

Question prompt

Joanna: The only way Remaining source text redacted.
Why the credited answer is right

Credited answer: A

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

Argument or Facts

Argument/Argument

Valid or Flawed

Flawed/Valid

Question Type

Methods of Reasoning Questions

Stimulus Summary

J: A company in bankruptcy can’t learn a whole new business, so the only way to return to success is to stay in the same business.
R: Wrong, just look at Kelton company. They went from mining to waste disposal.

Answer Anticipation

Joanna draws a strong/absolute generalization (“The only way…”)- companies can’t become successful after a bankruptcy unless they double down on the business that they know. When a generalization is absolute, it only takes a single counterexample to disprove it.
And that’s exactly what Ruth does. Joanna says that any company that ends up successful after a bankruptcy must have stayed in the same business. Ruth brings up a company that became successful after a bankruptcy by switching to a different business. Let’s find an answer that highlights Ruth’s reliance on a counterexample.

Answer choices

  1. A
    She presents a counterexample Remaining source text redacted.
    Why choice A matches the stem
    No artifice to this answer - just a straightforward counterexample answer. This is therefore correct.
  2. B
    She offers an alternative Remaining source text redacted.
    Why choice B is not credited
    There’s no explanation or really a phenomenon. A generalization isn’t a phenomenon, and Joanna doesn’t present an explanation for why her generalization is true, so it’d be hard for Ruth to offer an alternative explanation.
  3. C
    She supports a claim Remaining source text redacted.
    Why choice C is not credited
    An analogy would highlight a different-but-similar situation. An example/counterexample falls under the category of the generalization. As such, Ruth’s statements bring up a counterexample, not an analogy.
  4. D
    She undermines a claim Remaining source text redacted.
    Why choice D is not credited
    There’s no note that the language or concepts raised by Joanna is unclear - instead, there’s a concrete example provided that runs counter to what Joanna said. In fact, it’d be hard to raise a counterexample if the other person’s statements are ambiguous!
  5. E
    She establishes a conclusion Remaining source text redacted.
    Why choice E is not credited
    Ruth brings up a single example - she doesn’t talk about a situation where there are only two alternatives and then rules one out.

What this tests

Question analytics

Based on historical answer selection rates for this question.

Answer choice distribution

  1. A Credited 92%
  2. B 3%
  3. C 2%
  4. D 2%
  5. E 1%

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