Logical reasoning PrepTest 144 · Section 2 · Question 23

Incorrect. The stimulus notes that even well-intentioned actions can be unjustified, and this answer choice—if anything—suggests otherwise.

Incorrect. There's no discussion of what is "right" in the stimulus.

Incorrect. The stimulus notes that trying to help a friend's marriage is unjustified "even" when well-intentioned, so this answer doesn't justify that conclusion.

Incorrect. While this may be true based on the stimulus, it doesn't justify the conclusion that these actions are unjustified. This answer doesn't really justify any conclusion other than itself!

Correct. Argument or Facts:
Argument

Valid or Flawed:
Flawed

Question Type:
Strengthen (Principle)

Stimulus Summary:
Trying to help your friends' marriage will probably make everyone hate everyone else, so doing so is probably unjustified.

Answer Anticipation:
Strengthen (Principle) questions generally require us to connect the details from the premise to the judgment in the conclusion.

Here, the conclusion is that a certain action is probably unjustified, so that is what we need to support. Why is helping a friend's marriage probably unjustified? According to the stimulus, doing so usually doesn't work and just makes everyone hate everyone else, even if there are good intentions.

So there are a few details here that could be connected to the conclusion—1) this action usually doesn't work; 2) it makes everyone hate everyone else; and 3) it's often well-intentioned. The third is unlikely by itself to be used to justify the conclusion ("If an action is well-intentioned, then it's probably not justified" doesn't sound right), but it might be featured with one of the other two details to form a principle:

(1) If an action doesn't work (even if it's well-intentioned), then it's not justified
(2) If an action leads to resentment (even if it's well-intentioned), then it's not justified

Let's find either of these (or a combination) in the answers.

Answer Explanation:
Rephrased, this answer states that an action (based on good intentions) that doesn't result in success isn't justified. Since the stimulus notes that trying to fix marriage problems for others can be well-intentioned but rarely works, this answer justifies the conclusion drawn in the argument and is thus the correct answer.

Key Takeaway:
Sometimes, Strengthen (Principle) questions will include details that themselves are unlikely to be used to justify the conclusion, but might be brought up in concert with another detail, or heavily relied on in incorrect answers. For this question, the action being well-intentioned featured heavily in incorrect answers (along with the correct one) even though it was noted as, essentially, being irrelevant in the stimulus.