Logical reasoning PrepTest 126 · Section 1 · Question 21

Incorrect. This is an unbelievably well-constructed trap answer! Yep, this is wrong. Why? Because the sufficient condition of this principle doesn't line up with the premise in the argument. There, it states that if "people generally" fail to buy the advertised products, then the show will be canceled. This answer discusses a show that would be canceled if "one took certain actions." That shift from a premise about people generally to a single person is enough to invalidate this answer.

Correct. Argument or Facts:
Argument

Valid or Flawed:
Flawed

Question Type:
Strengthen (Principle)

Stimulus Summary:
TV shows will be canceled unless people buy the products advertised during them, so anyone who wants a TV show to be renewed should buy products advertised on that show.

Answer Anticipation:
Strengthen (Principle) questions task us with justifying a judgment in a conclusion based on the details in the premises. Here, the judgment takes the form of a recommendation—anyone who wants a TV show to be renewed "ought to" buy the products advertised on it.

Why? Because if people generally fail to buy these products, then the shows will soon be canceled.

The correct answer should connect these ideas:
If a TV show would be canceled if people generally fail to buy the products advertised on that show, then anyone who wants the show renewed should buy those products.

Answer Explanation:
This answer says essentially the same thing as (A) but gets the premise portion of the principle (the sufficient condition) correct—it deals with "many people" taking an action instead of "one" person. Since this aligns with the argument, this is the correct answer.

Key Takeaway:
Be very careful with Strengthen (Principle) questions, as the smallest shift in what the stimulus says compared to the answer choice can throw that answer choice off and make it wrong.

To the specific shift here, which group is being discussed is something that we know to be important to an argument. There will often be a shift from a premise discussing one group to a conclusion about another, and an entire flaw—the sampling flaw—is based on such a shift. In this case, the flaw in the most tempting answer choice is that there's a shift from discussing a group to discussing an individual—which can be just as invalid as jumping from discussing one group to discussing another.

Incorrect. The stimulus discusses shows that people "feel[]" are worth preserving, not ones that are objectively worth preserving. This answer shifts from the subjective determination of the stimulus to an objective one, so it's incorrect.

Incorrect. This answer is a weaker version of the conclusion, so it's not going to serve to justify that conclusion.

Incorrect. Close, but the second half throws this answer off! The conclusion is about "anyone" who wants the show to be renewed, not just those who feel most strongly about it. In limiting itself in a way that the conclusion of the stimulus isn't limited, this answer is wrong.