Logical reasoning PrepTest 116 · Section 3 · Question 25

Correct. Argument or Facts:
Argument

Valid or Flawed:
Valid

Question Type:
Pattern of Reasoning

Stimulus Summary:
Good thing → Cause no harm at all
Wealth — Often harms people
Therefore — Wealth — not Good thing

Answer Anticipation:
This answer draws a conclusion by applying a conditional/general principle to a specific case. The conclusion, however, is the negation of the sufficient condition, so it's applying the contrapositive here. That doesn't have to match up, but it usually does, especially when the argument is using standard conditional indicator words.

So we're looking for an answer that takes the form:
A → B
C — not B
Therefore — C — not A

One quick note—that often" in there isn't establishing a some quantifier statement. The reason for this is the way that it interacts with the conditional, and thus the way that it functions within the argument. The condition that it triggers is not Cause no harm at all. So the logically relevant information in that statement is that wealth fails to cause no harm at all (since it often causes harm).

Answer Explanation:
This answer seems to apply a conditional to a specific case, so let's diagram it:
Chess club → not Loves to golf
Alex — Loves to golf
Therefore — Alex — not Chess club
This answer applies the contrapositive of a conditional to a specific case to reach a valid conclusion, so this is the correct answer.

Key Takeaway:
Valid arguments need valid answers in Parallel Reasoning questions. Noting that the stimulus was valid would allow for a couple of answers that seemed to parallel the language better to be eliminated based on flaws in their reasoning.

Incorrect. This answer features an illegal reversal, and the conditional has an AND in it. Two reasons to rule it out!

Incorrect. There's no conditional premise in this argument—rather, it's a balance of competing factors.

Incorrect. This answer features a most premise, not a conditional.

Incorrect. The specific situation in this case creates an expectation based on what is usually the case, not what is the case, so this answer isn't parallel.