PrepTest 127
[lcid:3606] Prep Test 127 LSAT — Logical Reasoning — S3
Logical reasoning
Question prompt
Executive: We recently ran
Remaining source text redacted.
Why the credited answer is right
Credited answer: D
The notes below walk through why it fits the stem and how to eliminate the rest.
Question Type
Methods of Reasoning Questions
Answer choices
-
Abases a prediction of Remaining source text redacted.
Why choice A is not credited
Incorrect. The stimulus uses a comparable "phenomenon," not an analysis of the same phenomenon's cause, to infer a given effect. -
Buses information about the Remaining source text redacted.
Why choice B is not credited
Incorrect. The stimulus uses information from one specific situation to infer a conclusion about another specific situation; it doesn't go from the general to the specific. -
Cinfers a statistical generalization Remaining source text redacted.
Why choice C is not credited
Incorrect. The conclusion isn't a statistical generalization—it's a conclusion about a specific situation. -
Duses a case in Remaining source text redacted.
Why choice D matches the stem
Correct. Argument or Facts:
Argument
Valid or Flawed:
Flawed
Question Type:
Methods of Reasoning
Stimulus Summary:
Certain online ads had a lower response than the average online ad, so the same print ads probably had a lower response in print.
Answer Anticipation:
The argument here admits early on that they don't have direct evidence for the conclusion— "We were unable to get any direct information" about the print ads. So to reach a conclusion about those ads, the Executive uses information about the online ads.
Whenever an argument uses a similar situation to support a conclusion, it's assuming that the two situations are sufficiently similar in important respects. While the Executive does establish that these are the same sets of ads, she doesn't establish that the viewers of the two different types of ads would react in the same way to the ad. For example, if the ad was very traditional, it might perform better in a traditional medium (print) than in a new medium (online ads).
But we don't need to analyze the logic here! This is a Methods of Reasoning question, and the argument relies on a comparable situation to reach its conclusion on a topic that it lacks information.
Answer Explanation:
This answer describes the argument—it uses a scenario that there is data for to draw a conclusion about an analogous/similar situation that there isn't.
Key Takeaway:
Methods of Reasoning questions frequently feature analogies. When an argument relies on a similar situation or event to draw a conclusion, look for an answer describing this method of reasoning. -
Ebases a prediction about Remaining source text redacted.
Why choice E is not credited
Incorrect. There's no discussion of future events—just what is true of ads that have already run.