Logical reasoning PrepTest 117 · Section 3 · Question 9

Question prompt

Rossi: It is undemocratic Remaining source text redacted.
Why the credited answer is right

Credited answer: D

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

Question Type

Illustration Questions

Answer choices

  1. A
    A democratic government does Remaining source text redacted.
    Why choice A is not credited
    Incorrect. Smith doesn't want to give children the right to vote, so, if anything, this answer is contradicted by his statements.
  2. B
    Children have rights that Remaining source text redacted.
    Why choice B is not credited
    Incorrect. There's at least one right that Smith doesn't believe children should have, so even if Smith believes there are some that they should have, that's not supported by the statements here.
  3. C
    News programs for children Remaining source text redacted.
    Why choice C is not credited
    Incorrect. Smith doesn't discuss news programs at all, so this answer is out of scope. Also, he seems to take issue with the ability of children to hold thoughts complex enough to allow them to vote, and providing them with information wouldn't address that issue.
  4. D
    If there are any Remaining source text redacted.
    Why choice D matches the stem
    Correct. Argument or Facts:
    Argument/Argument

    Valid or Flawed:
    Flawed/Flawed

    Question Type:
    Must Be True

    Stimulus Summary:
    R: Living under a government that doesn't represent you is undemocratic, and kids and parents don't have the same interests, so kids should be allowed to vote.

    S: Sure, there are some places where kids and parents don't have the same interests, but kids view things on too short a timeline and too simplistically, so we shouldn't let them vote.

    Answer Anticipation:
    This question stem is a bit weird, so we should make sure we understand what it's asking. It tells us to use Smith's statements to form an argument for the correct answer. In other words, it asks us to use Smith's statements to support one of the answers. That's some variation of a Must Be True question, so let's treat it as such.

    And it's really hard to anticipate something here! Smith makes a full argument, so we should treat all the statements as true—even the conclusion. Based on the structure of his argument, let's head into the answers expecting some type of generalization reflecting the argument that he makes.

    Answer Explanation:
    Smith concludes that children shouldn't be given the right to vote. If that's the case, then it must be true that any limitations this places on full democracy must be acceptable, as this answer states. This answer is a bit of a necessary premise of the argument, and since we accept the statements (including the conclusion) in the stimulus as true in Must Be True questions, necessary premises must be true.

    Key Takeaway:
    Must Be True questions that are based on arguments still ask you to treat all the statements as true—even the conclusion, and even if the argument has an assumption. As such, any necessary assumptions must be true—they're occasionally the correct answer in such a question.
  5. E
    If parents do not Remaining source text redacted.
    Why choice E is not credited
    Incorrect. Smith doesn't argue that allowing children to vote isn't necessary because their interests are represented; he argues that they shouldn't be allowed to vote because they're incapable of handling the responsibility.

What this tests

Question analytics

Based on historical answer selection rates for this question.

Answer choice distribution

  1. A 3%
  2. B 3%
  3. C 3%
  4. D Credited 85%
  5. E 6%

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