Logical reasoning PrepTest 155 · Section 4 · Question 8

Incorrect. The stimulus is about the percentage of drivers having accidents, not the overall number, so this answer choice about population doesn't impact the argument.

Correct. Argument or Facts:
Argument

Valid or Flawed:
Flawed

Question Type:
Weaken

Stimulus Summary:
Countries with harsh drunk driving laws have fewer accidents involving drunk drivers. Therefore, harsh drunk driving laws work.
Answer Anticipation:
It's important to note here that "refute" means to disprove, not to call into question. So the conclusion can be rephrased in the manner we do in the summary.

This is a straightforward correlation vs. causation flaw. The correct answer will attack this flaw, usually by highlighting an alternative cause, bringing up counterexamples, or suggesting reverse causality. The last doesn't make sense, and counterexamples are less likely since the premise is about an average of all countries, so an alternative explanation is the most likely explanation.

Answer Explanation:
This answer suggests an alternative cause to the low drunk-driving accident rate—drinking is rare in these countries, so it's the rarity of drunk driving that results in the low accident rate, not the harsh punishments. This weakens the argument.

Key Takeaway:
In Weaken questions, be on the lookout for causal conclusions. They feature frequently in this question type, and they have common answer categories. Here, noting that we were likely to find a correct answer that proposed an alternative cause to the lower drunk-driving accident rate let us home in on the correct answer more easily.

Incorrect. There is no information about which countries have higher or lower speed limits, so this answer is out of scope.

Incorrect. The prospect of a penalty doesn't rely on how many are apprehended, just individual fear of them being the one who is arrested. This answer doesn't have an impact on the argument.

Incorrect. If anything, this answer removes an alternative explanation by creating a similarity between these countries, so we can rule it out.