Logical reasoning PrepTest 118 · Section 3 · Question 4
Question prompt
Why the credited answer is right
Credited answer: B
The notes below walk through why it fits the stem and how to eliminate the rest.
Question Type
Answer choices
-
AAnger is always expressible.
Why choice A is not credited
Incorrect. First, it's more of a necessary assumption to say that anger is expressible. Second, this answer doesn't connect the situation to the sufficient condition, so it doesn't allow the conditional to be triggered. Third, the conclusion is that there are always situations where expressing anger is healthy, but that's not the same as saying that it's always healthy to express anger, which is what this answer is pushing towards. -
BAnger is a visceral Remaining source text redacted.
Why choice B matches the stem
Correct. Argument or Facts:
Argument
Valid or Flawed:
Flawed
Question Type:
Stimulus Summary:
Visceral emotion → Situations where it's healthy to express that emotion
Therefore — There are situations where it's healthy to express anger
Answer Anticipation:
The argument presents a conditional ("any" indicating a sufficient condition) and it then concludes the application of that conditional to a particular case (anger). Strengthen with Sufficient Premise questions that apply a conditional to a particular case are usually flawed because they don't establish that the sufficient condition is met in that particular case so we should start by considering that.
Here the sufficient condition is that an emotion is a visceral one. The specific situation it applies the principle to is anger but it never establishes that anger is a visceral emotion (by definition it is an emotion). The correct answer then should make that connection.
Answer Explanation:
If anger is a visceral emotion then the conditional applies to it and we can validly conclude that there are always situations in which it's healthy to express that emotion. This is thus the correct answer.
Key Takeaway:
When a Strengthen with Sufficient Premise question works by applying a conditional to a specific case it will usually be flawed in that it fails to establish that the specific case meets the sufficient condition of the conditional. Start your analysis of the logic there! (If that's not the flaw then there's usually a term shift between the necessary condition of the conditional and the conclusion.) -
CSome kinds of emotions Remaining source text redacted.
Why choice C is not credited
Incorrect. The conclusion is that this particular emotion is healthy to express, so other emotions and unhealthy—to—express emotions are all out of scope. -
DAll emotions that are Remaining source text redacted.
Why choice D is not credited
Incorrect. This answer is a reversal of the conditional premise, so it's incorrect. -
EAn emotion is visceral Remaining source text redacted.
Why choice E is not credited
Incorrect. This answer is more or less a paraphrase of the provided conditional (Visceral emotion → Healthy to express), so it doesn't add anything to the argument, let alone justify the conclusion.
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