Logical reasoning PrepTest 150 · Section 3 · Question 8

Incorrect. This answer doesn't have a conditional rule. The flaw here is that the author . . . just ignores one of the terms. Existing buildings would presumably include his building, which has existed for several decades.

Incorrect. This argument doesn't create two contemporary options—a public building has been represented by both purple and blue, but not simultaneously. That's fundamentally different than the two options provided by the stimulus, where these pieces of art that, during the first two weeks, were either sensitive or valuable would be on display before being removed. The temporal flaw here is, therefore, not parallel.

Incorrect. This argument is missing the conditional statement to parallel the conditional logic flaw. It also commits a similar, but almost opposite, flaw to the stimulus in that it assumes a thoroughfare can't be a one-way street.

Incorrect. This argument is flawed because it ignores other possibilities (maybe the solid lines are in different colors). That's not the same as choosing one possibility over another, and it's still missing the second flaw.

Correct. Argument or Facts:
Argument

Valid or Flawed:
Flawed

Question Type:
Flawed Parallel Reasoning

Stimulus Summary:
Sensitive to light or Most Valuable → 2 weeks only
Maples displayed for 2 weeks only
Therefore, Maples is one of Most Valuable

Answer Anticipation:
There are two flaws here. The first is an illegal reversal—being on display for 2 weeks only is a necessary condition for being sensitive or particularly valuable, not a sufficient one. Second, if we ignore the illegal reversal for a second, the stimulus provides two options (either valuable or sensitive) and the argument picks one without any support.

Answer Explanation:
If Hospital or Public, then Purple. Purple on Wilson, therefore Hospital. This argument has the reversal (concluding a type of building based on the Purple dot), and it chooses Hospital, when Public Place is just as likely (ignoring the reversal).

Key Takeaway:
Identifying key elements that make up the flaw in the stimulus is key to answering Flawed Parallel Reasoning questions quickly. Here, the either/or option and the conditional statement, if identified as being core to the flaws, would allow for some quick eliminations.