Logical reasoning PrepTest 157 · Section 3 · Question 21

Question prompt

Orator: Moral excellence can Remaining source text redacted.
Why the credited answer is right

Credited answer: E

The notes below walk through why it fits the stem and how to eliminate the rest.

Argument or Facts

Facts

Strategy Overview

Argument or facts in passage?
If argument, identify premises and conclusions
Sufficient/necessary conditions in the passage?
If so, diagram statements and draw any deductions
Use anticipation to find the answer choice that is absolutely 100% true

Answer Anticipation

This set of facts features a few "if-then" keywords, including the "then" keywords "only." These send us a clear signal that we should diagram these statements to help us draw a conclusion that must be true.
The first sentence uses the then-keyword "only." So, we'll put the condition that "only" refers to — "repeatedly overcoming inclinations to do the wrong thing" — on the "then" side of the arrow. We'll put the other part — "achieving moral excellence" — on the "if" side. Let's diagram that and its flipside: P: Achieve moral excellence → Repeatedly overcome inclination to do wrong / NOT repeatedly overcome inclination to do wrong → NOT achieve moral excellence
The next clause isn't a conditional statement (since it only discusses what "often" happens), but the final clause features the phrase "the only." There are two acceptable ways to diagram "the only" claims. We can treat it like a regular "only," and put the part that "the only way" refers to ("the achievement of moral excellence") on the "then" side. Or, we can put the part that immediately follows "the only" on the "if" side. Either way, we'll wind up with the following diagram and flipside: P: Become morally virtuous → Achieve moral excellence / NOT achieve moral excellence → NOT become morally virtuous
Notice that these premises share the condition "Achieve moral excellence." Because "Achieve moral excellence" appears as the "then" condition of the second premise and the "if" condition of the third premise, we can connect those premises. So, we can conclude: P: Achieve moral excellence → Repeatedly overcome inclination to do wrong / NOT repeatedly overcome inclination to do wrong → NOT achieve moral excellence P: Become morally virtuous → Achieve moral excellence / NOT achieve moral excellence → NOT become morally virtuous

Answer choices

  1. A
    A morally virtuous person Remaining source text redacted.
    Why choice A is not credited

    This is too bold of a claim. Our conclusion tells us that morally virtuous people must repeatedly overcome the inclination to do the wrong thing. But that doesn't mean they're incapable of doing something wrong. In fact, if they are inclined to do the wrong thing, it would seem as though they're perfectly capable of doing it.

  2. B
    Most people who achieve Remaining source text redacted.
    Why choice B is not credited

    The second premise tells us that all morally virtuous people achieve moral excellence. But we can't just flip those conditions. We can't say that all, or even most, people who achieve moral excellence are morally virtuous. It's possible that achieving moral excellence is just one requirement of becoming morally virtuous. If there are many other requirements — especially ones that are not easily attainable — then it could be the case that very few people who achieve moral excellence ever become truly morally virtuous.

  3. C
    Someone who has no Remaining source text redacted.
    Why choice C is not credited

    The flipside of the first premise tells us that people who have no inclination to do the wrong thing (and therefore cannot repeatedly overcome that inclination) do not achieve moral excellence. So, the passage contradicts this answer choice, making the answer choice false.

  4. D
    Someone who is not Remaining source text redacted.
    Why choice D is not credited

    The second premise tells us that people who are morally virtuous must achieve moral excellence. This answer choice just negates both conditions, which we cannot validly do. There could be additional requirements to become morally virtuous. Becoming morally virtuous might require one to achieve moral excellence and, for example, donate half of their salary to charity. Someone could achieve moral excellence but not donate half of their salary. In that case, a person could not be morally virtuous even if they achieve moral excellence.

  5. E
    Every morally virtuous person Remaining source text redacted.
    Why choice E matches the stem

    Although this isn't exactly what we anticipated, this statement must be true. It's consistent with the following conclusion we drew:

    Conclusion: Become morally virtuous → Repeatedly overcome inclination to do wrong


    If morally virtuous people have repeatedly overcome their inclinations to do the wrong thing, then they must first have those inclinations. Therefore, it's accurate to say that all morally virtuous people have been inclined to do something wrong.

Question analytics

Based on historical answer selection rates for this question.

Answer choice distribution

  1. A 7%
  2. B 14%
  3. C 13%
  4. D 22%
  5. E Credited 44%

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