Logical reasoning PrepTest 139 · Section 4 · Question 13

Incorrect. If anything, this answer suggests that there might not be a chilling effect as more patents are being filed.

Incorrect. This answer doesn't speak to what would happen if a change were to be made.

Correct. Argument or Facts:
Argument

Valid or Flawed:
Flawed

Question Type:
Strengthen with Sufficient Premise

Stimulus Summary:
Current patent system - Researchers have 1 year after publication to patent
Proposed patent system - Researchers must patent before publication, delaying the communication of discoveries
Conclusion - The proposed system will have a chilling effect on research

Answer Anticipation:
Strengthen with Sufficient Premise questions usually feature a new term in the conclusion that's related to what the author establishes in the premises but not fully justified by it. The correct answer will bridge this gap.

Here, the conclusion is that a proposed change will have a chilling effect on research. The premise about that proposed change establishes that it will delay the communication of discoveries. Since it doesn't establish that that delay will result in a chilling effect, the correct answer will have to:

Anything that slows down communication of scientific discoveries will have a chilling effect on research.

Answer Explanation:
This answer connects what is established about the proposed change in the premise (delayed communication) to the judgment on the proposed change made in the conclusion (chilling effect). Since it connects the premises to the conclusion, it allows the conclusion to follow logically, so this is the correct answer.

Key Takeaway:
Strengthen with Sufficient Premise questions will generally feature a new term in the conclusion that's related to something in the premise but not fully justified by it. The correct answer connects these ideas. As such, it's generally possible to anticipate a specific answer that ends up being pretty close to the correct answer. This is a great question type to practice if you need to speed up your time by a couple minutes, as practice can get you to a place where you can answer these questions faster than average.

Incorrect. Opposition doesn't determine the actual effect of a change.

Incorrect. What is currently the case doesn't determine the effect of a change to the status quo.