Logical reasoning PrepTest 112 · Section 4 · Question 3

Question prompt

Legal theorist: It is 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

Argument Structure Questions

Stimulus Summary

Judgment - It’s unreasonable to jail anyone unless they’re a threat to others/property
Analysis - Here are three alternative reasons for incarcerating someone that are insufficient

Answer Anticipation

Similar to the previous question in this section, this one is all about quickly understanding the argument and getting to the correct answer as soon as possible. The question types about the argument itself (mainly, Main Point and Argument Structure) are really about building up time for harder questions.
Knowing that judgments are generally conclusions helps greatly here. And we get a judgment in the opening line - it is “unreasonable” to jail anyone for something other than them being a threat. That type of judgment will almost always serve as the main point of an argument, so we should read on with the mindset that we’re likely heading to premises.
And this is where knowing common methods of reasoning can help! Here, the Theorist goes through three alternative reasons for incarcerating people, showing that each of them is insufficient to justify the practice. In eliminating these alternatives, the Theorist is supporting her view that only danger can justify it.
So the statement in question here - the first sentence - is the main point of the argument. Let’s find an answer reflecting that.

Answer choices

  1. A
    It is offered as Remaining source text redacted.
    Why choice A is not credited
    It’s not a premise, and this answer talks about one of the reasons for incarceration that the Theorist eliminates (free will).
  2. B
    It is offered as Remaining source text redacted.
    Why choice B is not credited
    It’s not background - it’s a judgment that the Theorist supports by eliminating alternatives.
  3. C
    It is offered as Remaining source text redacted.
    Why choice C matches the stem
    This answer correctly describes the role of the first sentence - it’s a judgment that the Theorist offers as her main point, supported by the elimination of alternatives.
  4. D
    It is offered as Remaining source text redacted.
    Why choice D is not credited
    The argument doesn’t discuss retribution, nor what is more important. The statement in question also isn’t evidence - it’s the conclusion.
  5. E
    It is offered as Remaining source text redacted.
    Why choice E is not credited
    The statement in question is a main point, not a premise/evidence.

What this tests

Question analytics

Based on historical answer selection rates for this question.

Answer choice distribution

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

Deeper help

Ask follow-ups on any step

Optional AI tutor mode will let you interrogate assumptions, compare answers, and drill weak patterns without leaving the page.

Human-written explanations stay primary; AI is an add-on when you want it.

Discussion

No threads yet—be the first to ask a question or share an approach.

View all discussions Start a discussion