Logical reasoning PrepTest 112 · Section 4 · Question 12

Question prompt

The television show Henry Remaining source text redacted.
Why the credited answer is right

Credited answer: C

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

Cause & Effect / Strengthen Questions

Answer Anticipation

Strengthen questions feature Correlation/Causation flaws more often than any other flaw, so we should be on the lookout for one in this question type. And, on top of that, the premises here discuss a timeline - when Henry was moved, and what was true of the ratings when that happened. Timelines create correlations - events that happen around the same time as each other. So you should have, early on, started to think Correlation/Causation flaw.
That determination should then have been reinforced by the conclusion, which states that Henry’s high ratings on Wednesday were “because it followed” That’s Life. So we have correlations in the premises that are used to support a causal conclusion - that’s a Correlation/Causation flaw. We can look for the standard answers for a Strengthen question featuring one:
Explain the causality Eliminate an alternative cause More examples of cause and effect going together Establish a control (no cause, no effect - though note that we already have this in the form of what Henry’s ratings looked like before and after the move to Wednesday night, so this answer is less likely)

Answer choices

  1. A
    Henry has been on Remaining source text redacted.
    Why choice A is not credited
    The length of time that the shows have aired is out of scope of any popularity they have, or the reason for that popularity.
  2. B
    The show that replaced Remaining source text redacted.
    Why choice B is not credited
    The conclusion states that following That’s Life led to high ratings for Henry. What is true of a different show on Tuesday night may, at most, support the contention that the Tuesday slot is bad for ratings, not that following That’s Life is good for them.
  3. C
    The show that now Remaining source text redacted.
    Why choice C matches the stem
    This answer brings up another example of the causality going together - of the supposed cause (following That’s Life) being correlated with the effect (high ratings). As such, it strengthens the argument that following That’s Life caused Henry’s high ratings when it followed it.
  4. D
    After its recent move Remaining source text redacted.
    Why choice D is not credited
    This answer brings up an alternative cause of Henry’s ratings drop. A drop in the ratings isn’t what we’re trying to strengthen and, even if this was related to that causality, bringing up an alternative cause weakens an argument.
  5. E
    That's Life was note Remaining source text redacted.
    Why choice E is not credited
    It’s the most popular show on television now in the time period we care about, so whether it had good ratings out of the gate is out of scope.

What this tests

Question analytics

Based on historical answer selection rates for this question.

Answer choice distribution

  1. A 4%
  2. B 3%
  3. C Credited 90%
  4. D 2%
  5. E 1%

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