Logical reasoning PrepTest 115 · Section 4 · Question 20

Incorrect. This answer deals with the shift we identified, but it does it in too strong a manner to represent an assumption of the argument. Since the correlation is noted as being "strong" but not absolute and the causality is "largely" present, there's room for a few people without high educational levels to make healthy lifestyle decisions while the overall trend holds.

Incorrect. Similar to (A), this answer brings up the possibility that some people making good lifestyle choices won't be in good health, but that leaves it open for the overall correlation to still exist between education and health.

Incorrect. The argument doesn't care whether people are able to make informed lifestyle choices, just that they do. Even if people without education don't have such choices available to them, those choices could still lead to good health in those who can make them.

Correct. Argument or Facts:
Argument

Valid or Flawed:
Flawed

Question Type:
Errors in Reasoning

Stimulus Summary:
Studies - Good health and education are correlated
Conclusion - Informed lifestyle choices cause good health

Answer Anticipation:
This answer couldn't more clearly be telegraphing a Correlation/Causation flaw if it tried. It specifically mentions a "correlation" in the premise, and the conclusion uses common causal language ("result of").

There is another element that you should have second-guessed, however—the jump from discussing high educational levels and informed lifestyle choices. Those with a lot of education don't necessarily make informed lifestyle choices; those without such education can still be informed on healthy lifestyle choices. However, the argument is about a correlation between the two—it doesn't claim that everyone and only those with a lot of education make such decisions, just that they more frequently do, so an answer reflecting this jump would need to thread that needle.

Let's head in expecting a Correlation/Causation flaw answer but keep our eyes open for one dealing with the identified shift.

Answer Explanation:
This answer brings up a common Correlation/Causation flaw answer—the possibility of a third factor that results in the two correlated phenomena. As such, this answer is correct.

Key Takeaway:
It would have been very easy to get trapped in answer choice (A) here—that's probably why they put it first! This question highlights the importance of reading through all answer choices in LR questions so that you don't fall for an early trap answer.

Incorrect. Similar to (A) and (B), the argument establishes only a strong correlation between health and education, and that informed lifestyle choices "largely" result in good health, so some counterexamples are backed into those relationships.