Logical reasoning PrepTest 133 · Section 1 · Question 22

Incorrect. This answer establishes a necessary condition for an action to be wrong, so it can't justify that conclusion.

Correct. Argument or Facts:
Argument

Valid or Flawed:
Flawed

Question Type:
Strengthen (Principle)

Stimulus Summary:
Situation - A child pushed another from behind, injuring them
Additional info - The pusher understands right from wrong
Conclusion - If the pusher intended to injure, their action was wrong

Answer Anticipation:
Strengthen (Principle) questions task us with connecting the judgment in the conclusion to the details in the premises. Interestingly here, the conclusion itself is conditional, bringing up another detail that would need to be connected.

The judgment here is that an action—pushing another child—was wrong. Why? Because the child in question knows right from wrong. So if the pusher intended injury, then their action was wrong.

Connecting the dots, we want an answer that states when someone knows right from wrong and intends to injure someone else, then their action is wrong.

Answer Explanation:
If someone understands right from wrong and intends to hurt someone, then that action is wrong. The pusher understood right from wrong and hurt someone, so the conclusion of the stimulus—if they intended harm, then their action was wrong—is justified.

Key Takeaway:
We can't stress enough how important it is to focus on the conclusion that you're trying to justify in these Strengthen (Principle) questions—the correct answer has to establish a sufficient condition to reach that conclusion, not a necessary condition for it. Focusing on that alone is generally good for 2-3 eliminations!

Incorrect. This answer establishes a necessary condition for an action to be wrong, so it can't justify a conclusion that an action was wrong.

Incorrect. There's no indication in the stimulus as to whether the pusher did or didn't think about potential injuries to the other child, so this answer doesn't necessarily apply.

Incorrect. The pusher in the stimulus does understand right from wrong, so this answer doesn't apply.