Logical reasoning PrepTest 121 · Section 1 · Question 4

Incorrect. This answer is about a truth that has a benefit to society, not one that has a pernicious influence on society.

Correct. Argument or Facts:
Facts

Question Type:
Must Be True (Principle)

Stimulus Summary:
Just because we don't want to know something or it could be bad for society doesn't mean we should avoid the truth.

Answer Anticipation:
While most principles in Must Be True (Principle) questions are stated as conditionals, that's not a rule, and this one isn't particularly conditional. However, it does present a judgment that can be drawn in certain circumstances.

Namely, the judgment is that we shouldn't shy away from certain truths, and those truths are ones that we may not want to hear or that may influence society in "pernicious" ways (hard vocab word, but it must be negative—otherwise, why wouldn't we want to acknowledge it?).

Let's find an answer where someone faces a hard or dangerous truth.

Answer Explanation:
This answer justifies pursuing knowledge even if that knowledge could hurt people—and hurting people is definitely something "pernicious." This answer is therefore correct.

Key Takeaway:
While principles are generally presented as conditional statements, that's not a rule! When you are given a principle that doesn't fit nicely into a conditional format, instead make sure you understand the judgment it allows and the details it allows that judgment under.

Incorrect. This answer provides a situation where the truth shouldn't be faced, thus running against the principle in the stimulus.

Incorrect. This answer is about disapproving of journalistic methods, and it's about balancing the good and bad of certain information, so it gets both sides of the principle wrong.

Incorrect. This answer is about a work that doesn't need to conform to the truth, so it's incorrect in that it doesn't involve facing harsh truths.