Logical reasoning PrepTest 134 · Section 3 · Question 9

Correct. Argument or Facts:
Argument

Valid or Flawed:
Flawed

Question Type:
Strengthen

Stimulus Summary:
In some places, the penalty for theft and bribery are the same, so the harm from both must be viewed as the same by lawmakers.

Answer Anticipation:
This answer jumps from a premise about penalties for crimes to a conclusion about the view of the harm done by those crimes. There's no indication, however, that the two are related, so the correct answer should connect those ideas.

Answer Explanation:
This answer connects the penalties for crimes to the belief as to the harm caused by those crimes. That's the connection that was missing from the stimulus, so this is the correct answer.

Key Takeaway:
When an argument shifts from a premise about one idea to a conclusion about another idea, the correct answer will bridge that gap and connect the ideas.

Incorrect. The stimulus is about penalties, not whether the act is illegal in the first place, so this answer is out of scope.

Incorrect. This answer is about a "particular instance" of a crime, not the baseline penalties for a crime, so it doesn't address the full scope of the argument.

Incorrect. The stimulus is about the harm believed to be inflicted by a crime, not the actual harm caused by it.

Incorrect. The effect of the crimes and their punishments is out of scope of the argument, which is just about the connection between the punishments and the harm.