Logical reasoning PrepTest 127 · Section 1 · Question 16

Question prompt

Psychologist: The obligation to Remaining source text redacted.
Why the credited answer is right

Credited answer: E

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

Argument Structure Questions

Stimulus Summary

Humans are driven primarily by personal interaction, so social functions working require people to know the source of thanks, so you have to say thanks in person.

Answer Anticipation

These abstract/philosophical arguments really are the worst. It’s hard enough to track logic in these questions without all the wordiness and lack of concrete ideas! Let’s fall back on structure and rules of thumb in order to help ourselves here.
The argument starts with a statement that doesn’t have any structural indicator words. It seems like an opinion, however - paraphrasing it quite a bit, it states that you have to say thank you in person. Why? If there’s an answer to that, then this is a conclusion of the argument.
The argument then seems to pivot, but that “However” isn’t being used as a pivot indicator word - it’s not “However,...” but “However much something has occurred” - in other words, it’s saying that societal changes haven’t had an impact on what follows. This is one of those clauses that tells us not to worry about something, so it’s a premise/background.
What about the second half of that sentence? It’s another statement that has an unclear purpose as of now. However, seeing how the two statements we’ve looked at so far relate to each other, it does seem as if the second is building to the first. If human psychology is driven primarily by personal interaction, then it makes sense that apologies would need to happen in person.
That the second sentence is a premise is backed up by it being followed by what is clearly a conclusion (“Thus”). This final statement sets up a benefactor knowing the source of gratitude (someone knowing who is saying thank you) as a necessary condition for the “beneficial consequences” of saying thank you to happen. Structurally, the second statement is supporting this line since it builds to that “Thus.” And since that second statement also seemed to support the first one, that’s strong evidence that this final sentence is an intermediate conclusion.
Thinking it through logically, that determination is supported. If it’s necessary to know who is saying thank you for there to be a benefit to saying thank you, then we have a reason to believe that you can’t fulfill an obligation to say thank you anonymously. And since that opening statement is the statement in question in this Argument Structure question, the correct answer should reflect that it’s the main point of the argument, supported by a premise and intermediate conclusion.

Answer choices

  1. A
    It is an illustration Remaining source text redacted.
    Why choice A is not credited
    It is the argument’s conclusion. Additionally, an illustration would be an example, and the opening line is certainly not specific enough to serve as an illustration.
  2. B
    It is used to Remaining source text redacted.
    Why choice B is not credited
    It is the argument’s conclusion, so it’s not part of a defense of that conclusion. There also aren’t any counterpoints or viewpoints meant to undermine the argument - this answer is relying on you getting confused by the role of the “However” statement in the argument.
  3. C
    It is used to Remaining source text redacted.
    Why choice C is not credited
    This answer describes a premise supporting an intermediate conclusion supporting the main point. While that does describe the structure of this argument, the statement in question is the main point, not the starting premise.
  4. D
    It is used to Remaining source text redacted.
    Why choice D is not credited
    The argument doesn’t dive into the specific social benefit with which it’s concerned, but rather the action that leads to that benefit (saying thank you).
  5. E
    It is the conclusion Remaining source text redacted.
    Why choice E matches the stem
    This answer is correct - the statement in question is the main point, backed up by a premise and intermediate conclusion.

What this tests

Question analytics

Based on historical answer selection rates for this question.

Answer choice distribution

  1. A 14%
  2. B 5%
  3. C 17%
  4. D 4%
  5. E Credited 60%

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