Logical reasoning PrepTest 140 · Section 1 · Question 25

Incorrect. This answer is about a company, not a government official, and it's about bidding on a contract, not impending policy.

Incorrect. This answer features a former government official, so the principle doesn't apply. Additionally, this person wasn't using knowledge of impending policy, but rather contact he made.

Incorrect. This answer features a government official using knowledge of passed legislation for financial gain, not impending legislation.

Correct. Argument or Facts:
Facts

Question Type:
Must Be True (Principle)

Stimulus Summary:
not Knowledge of impending policy available to public AND Used by government officials to make money → Unethical

Answer Anticipation:
No need to take a contrapositive here. The question stem asks us to find a scenario where someone is acting unethically, and the conditional gives us a sufficient condition to reach that conclusion. We need to find an answer where a government official uses knowledge of impending policy not available to the public to make money.

Answer Explanation:
This answer features a government official using knowledge of pending legislation not available to the public for financial benefit (avoiding paying a tax is a financial benefit since it results in a person having more money than they otherwise would have). That ticks all the boxes of the principle's sufficient condition, so this is the correct answer.

Key Takeaway:
Must Be True (Principle) questions are all about applying conditionals. There are two places where the LSAT generally introduces difficulty here—tricky-to-diagram conditionals making up the principle in the stimulus; and subtle detail shifts in the answers that makes the principle not applicable. Be on the lookout for those traps and you'll be much less likely to fall for them!

Incorrect. This answer is about an investigation, not impending policy. Additionally, the action was taken after the public was informed of the action.