Logical reasoning PrepTest 123 · Section 2 · Question 21

Question prompt

Driver:  My friends say I Remaining source text redacted.
Why the credited answer is right

Credited answer: A

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

Argument or Facts

Argument

Valid or Flawed

Flawed

Question Type

Cause & Effect / Errors in Reasoning Questions

Stimulus Summary

D drives recklessly. D drives a sports car. Minivans and sedans have lower accident rates than sports cars. Therefore, D switching from a sports car to a minivan will lower his accident risk.

Answer Anticipation

The conclusion of this argument is a causal one—taking a certain action will lower risk. Is there evidence to prove that causal relationship, or is it based on a correlation? The Driver here thinks that his chances will be lowered because, looking at the data, minivans have a lower accident rate than sports cars. That's not a causal connection—that's a correlation. Maybe there is a reason other than the type of car that results in the lower accident rate. Say, maybe, that those who tend to buy sports cars drive recklessly, while those who tend to drive minivans drive to soccer practice. Since this argument has a causal conclusion based on a correlation, the correct answer will likely point this jump out.

Answer choices

  1. A
    infers a cause from Remaining source text redacted.
    Why choice A matches the stem
    Correct. Right off the bat, we get the correlation/causation answer. There's a correlation between driving a minivan and getting into fewer accidents than when driving a sports car. From this, the Driver infers that driving a minivan will cause that reduction in accident risk.
  2. B
    relies on a sample Remaining source text redacted.
    Why choice B is not credited
    Incorrect. While the Driver is applying statistical information to his own situation, the statistical information he relies on has no sign of being based on too small a sample. Without information on what his research consisted of, we can't be sure of the sample size, and we don't have enough information to know if this answer applies.
  3. C
    misinterprets evidence that a Remaining source text redacted.
    Why choice C is not credited
    Incorrect. The conclusion is about lowered risk of an accident, not the elimination of that risk. This answer choice doesn't reflect the argument.
  4. D
    mistakes a condition sufficient Remaining source text redacted.
    Why choice D is not credited
    Incorrect. If anything, the Driver is treating switching cars as being sufficient to lowering his chances of an accident, not necessary to doing so. That said, the argument isn't conditional, so this answer choice doesn't apply.
  5. E
    relies on a source Remaining source text redacted.
    Why choice E is not credited
    Incorrect. The source relied upon is the research into accident rates, and since we're not given the source, we can't say that it's not well-informed. If you were thinking this could apply to the friends, first, there's no way to know how well-informed they are, and, second, the Driver doesn't rely on them to reach his conclusion (he relies on the research).

What this tests

Question analytics

Based on historical answer selection rates for this question.

Answer choice distribution

  1. A Credited 47%
  2. B 5%
  3. C 21%
  4. D 24%
  5. E 3%

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