Logical reasoning PrepTest 133 · Section 1 · Question 5

Incorrect. This answer is too extreme in saying the rocks need to reflect "every" key value of Japanese gardens. The argument states only that it has to reflect harmony with nature.

Correct. Argument or Facts:
Argument

Valid or Flawed:
Flawed

Question Type:
Strengthen with Necessary Premise

Stimulus Summary:
Rocks in nature look different, and Japanese gardens should harmonize with nature, so Japanese garden rocks should look different.

Answer Anticipation:
The conclusion here recommends that one designing a Japanese garden include in it a variety of rocks that vary in their appearance. The reason for this recommendation is that the design of such a garden should "harmonize" with nature, and nature has rocks of a variety of appearances.

However, it's unclear that "harmonizing" with nature means mirroring or being similar to nature. It's possible that "harmonizing" with nature involves not mimicking it, but finding a way to enhance it. This argument is assuming that to harmonize with nature, a garden needs to be similar to nature, and so we should find that connection in the correct answers.

Answer Explanation:
This answer connects the ideas that aren't connected in the stimulus. If imitating nature doesn't contribute to harmony with nature, the whole argument falls apart.

Key Takeaway:
Strengthen with Necessary Premise questions frequently jump between related but distinct concepts. When that happens, the correct answer establishes that connection.

Incorrect. The argument does rely on harmony with nature as being a relevant criterion for selecting rocks, but it doesn't require that to be the only criterion.

Incorrect. There's no discussion of what's "natural" in the stimulus, so this answer is out of scope.

Incorrect. The argument limits itself to discussing varied rocks, so this answer is too broad to be necessary. Presumably, if there's something in nature that isn't varied, the Gardener might believe that element shouldn't be varied in a Japanese garden, either.