PrepTest 125

Incorrect. This answer would need to be justified by the contrapositive since it's about someone not being courageous. However, the person is acting to attain a goal (avoiding pain), and there's danger present. It doesn't note, however, if this person is afraid of that danger and perseveres in the face of it, so the contrapositive of the stimulus doesn't necessarily justify this answer, and it can therefore be eliminated.

Incorrect. Fear is a necessary condition for courage, so this answer doesn't align with the stimulus.

Incorrect. Two issues here. First, the stimulus is about courage, not being a courageous person. A courageous person could act without courage at times; a coward could act courageous in certain situations. Second, while facing danger out of enjoyment isn't courage, the stimulus doesn't state that someone who derives pleasure from danger can't be courageous. If they face danger solely for that reason, then they're not courageous, but if they enjoy acting to attain a goal and persevering in the face of fear of danger, they could still be courageous. Just because A isn't B doesn't mean that someone who is A can't also be B.

Correct. Argument or Facts:
Facts

Question Type:
Must Be True

Stimulus Summary:
Courage =/= Facing danger just because you enjoy it
Courage → Acting to attain a goal AND Perseveres in the face of fear from danger

Answer Anticipation:
We wrote out the first sentence here (=/= means "doesn't equal), but it's very unlikely to lead to a correct answer. Since it says what something isn't, it's hard to see what inference could lead from that.

The second sentence, however, is a traditional conditional ("only when"). Diagramming it out should allow us to apply it to answers. However, since it establishes a necessary condition (two, in fact) for Courage, we should take the contrapositive because the correct answer might highlight what is sufficient to reach the conclusion that something isn't courageous:
not Acting to attain a goal OR not Perseveres in the face of fear from danger → not Courage

Answer Explanation:
This answer establishes fear from the danger an action presents as necessary for courage. That matches with the conditional statement—if persevering in the face of fear of danger is a requirement, then fear of danger is logically necessary for that condition.

Key Takeaway:
If a condition is established as necessary, then anything required for that condition is also necessary. For a simpler example, if $50 is required to buy a new pair of shoes, then so is $20, since you need to have $20 before you can have $50.

Incorrect. This answer is tempting because it appears to prevent someone from having fear, which is a necessary part of being courageous. However, these people who don't fear situations that everyone else fears might fear situations that others don't fear. Think about a courageous firefighter who's afraid of clowns.