Logical reasoning PrepTest 154 · Section 1 · Question 21

Incorrect. Traintrack's food isn't as good as Marva's, but it's more popular and attracts a steady stream of customers, so this answer doesn't reflect the situation in the stimulus.

Incorrect. This answer doesn't deal with the quality of the food, which was a key element of the conclusion.

Incorrect. This answer choice doesn't reflect the argument since convenience is noted as making Traintrack more popular than Marva's.

Correct. Argument or Facts:
Argument

Valid or Flawed:
Flawed

Question Type:
Strengthen (Principle)

Stimulus Summary:
Marva's Diner: Less convenient location, general agreement of exceptional food, less popular
Traintrack Inn: More convenient location, general agreement of ordinary food, more popular
Critic: The convenience explains Traintrack's ordinary food.

Answer Anticipation:
The stimulus here attributes a reason to a phenomenon—convenience is resulting in ordinary food. However, that's just based on a correlation—Traintrack Inn is more convenient, and it has ordinary food. Since there's no other evidence connecting those ideas, the correct answer should do so:

If a restaurant is more convenient, then its food quality will be ordinary.

However, since this is question #21, it likely won't be that direct, so let's stay flexible as we analyze the answer choices.

Answer Explanation:
This answer choice connects popularity to food quality, so we should dive in. If it's true that a business (Traintrack) will improve its products (food) only when necessary to attract customers, then that justifies an argument stating that convenience explains the ordinary food quality. Since the convenience is resulting in a steady flow of customers, it's not necessary for Traintrack to improve its product to attract customers, and so it doesn't—resulting in the ordinary quality.

Key Takeaway:
Difficult questions can be difficult for a variety of reasons—one of which is answer choices that are phrased in a difficult manner and not in a way that lends itself to anticipation. When you're in the difficult zone of the Logical Reasoning section (generally, questions 16-23), even more than in other sections, know that any anticipation you form is more of a guide than a specific phrasing you expect to see.

Incorrect. While the stimulus argues that convenience is a factor in both quality and popularity—not that quality or popularity drives the other—that suggests there is a relationship between the two. When two things are both related to the same initial factor, then they're related to each other, as well.