Logical reasoning PrepTest 118 · Section 3 · Question 9

Incorrect. First, it's not established whether meat and eggs are good or bad for the heart. Second, other foods being bad for the heart doesn't speak to whether shellfish is.

Incorrect. Shellfish is very low in saturated fats, so this answer doesn't apply to the situation in the stimulus.

Incorrect. First, the argument states that cholesterol in food is relatively unimportant in determining blood cholesterol levels. Second, being less bad for the heart would still be bad, so this answer doesn't support the conclusion.

Correct. Argument or Facts:
Argument

Valid or Flawed:
Flawed

Question Type:
Strengthen

Stimulus Summary:
Overall — High cholesterol is bad for the heart
Shellfish:
(1) Contains cholesterol
(2) Low in saturated fat, which is a bigger influence over blood cholesterol
Therefore — Shellfish might not be bad for the heart

Answer Anticipation:
The argument here concludes that shellfish isn't necessarily bad for the heart, so in the grand scheme of things, any answer that supports that determination will be correct. So any answer that shows how eating shellfish can help the heart, or at least not hurt it, would be correct.

More specifically, we can relate it to the big cause noted—high cholesterol. If shellfish in any way prevents or reduces high cholesterol, then it's good for the heart. Even if it has no impact on cholesterol, it wouldn't be bad for the heart. Let's find an answer tying shellfish to lower cholesterol levels.

Answer Explanation:
Shellfish is a food that is low in saturated fat. This answer establishes that it therefore promotes low blood cholesterol. Since high blood cholesterol levels are bad for the heart, this answer establishes that shellfish promotes heart—healthy cholesterol levels, so it's the correct answer.

Key Takeaway:
Note here that the correct answer doesn't directly mention shellfish—instead, it talks about a category of which shellfish are a member. This is a common misdirect, so when you see a phrase that defines a category, consider if the topic of the conclusion falls into that category!

Incorrect. The relative size of the servings of the various meats doesn't speak to whether shellfish isn't bad for the heart. This may speak to whether eating it is better in some way than meat and poultry, but just because a Kit Kat is better for you than a Snickers doesn't mean that either are healthy!