Logical reasoning PrepTest 156 · Section 2 · Question 4

Flawed

Identify the conclusion Identify the premise Determine the role played by the statement from the question stem.

For example...

Premise Main conclusion Premise/conclusion

Find the answer choice that correctly expresses the role

On an Argument Structure question, an experienced test-taker will first thoroughly deconstruct and understand the entire argument in the passage. Even though our job is to understand the role of the statement in the question stem, the benefits of understanding the whole argument are twofold. First, trying to figure out the role of the statement-in-question too early and without considering the entire argument can sometimes bias us and lead to an incorrect determination. Second, many answer choices will require us to know the roles of multiple propositions. (For instance, if the statement-in-question is a premise/conclusion, we'll probably also need to know which premise supports the premise/conclusion and which conclusion the premise/conclusion supports.) So, let's break down the business writer's entire argument, starting with the conclusion. The second part of the first sentence, which uses the tonal word "mistake," is the main conclusion. So, the conclusion asserts that increasing the supply of Corinne watches would be a mistake. The business writer supports this conclusion with several premises, further proving that the second part of the first sentence is the conclusion. If necessary, we can use the "Why?" test to confirm that these premises support the main conclusion. To use that test, we ask, "Why is it true that increasing the supply of Corinne watches would be a mistake?" Then, we say "Because ..." and insert the passage's other statements. "Why is it true that increasing the supply of Corinne watches would be a mistake? Because the excess demand results from the belief that the watches are in short supply. But the short supply merely results from the limited number of watches made. The demand makes people believe that others really want the watches. This belief makes people desire the watches more. And if Corinne increased the supply, the demand would be eliminated, and people wouldn't desire the watches." That paragraph sounds like a cogent and easy-to-follow argument. That confirms that the statements that follow "Because ..." are premises. It also confirms that the part that follows "Why?" is the conclusion. (Technically, the last statement in the paragraph is a premise/conclusion. It would also pass the "Why?" test with the other premises: "Why is it true that if Corinne increased the supply, the demand would be eliminated, and people wouldn't desire the watches? Because the excess demand results from the belief that the watches are in short supply. But the short supply merely results from the limited number of watches made. The demand makes people believe that others really want the watches. This belief makes people desire the watches more.") Now that we have broken down the entire argument, we can determine the role the statement-in-question serves. The statement-in-question is the second part of the first sentence. As we determined, that statement is the argument's main conclusion. Let's look for an answer choice that says that.