PrepTest 137

[lcid:3644] Prep Test 137 LSAT — Reading Comp — S1 Reading comp

Question prompt

In 1996, all ResearchTech Remaining source text redacted.
Why the credited answer is right

Credited answer: B

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

Question Type

Parallel Reasoning Questions

Answer choices

  1. A
    Legal restrictions on consumer Remaining source text redacted.
    Why choice A is not credited
    Incorrect. The initial premise here isn't an either/or statement—it presents two examples of a broader statement, but that doesn't guarantee that everything that meets the criteria must fall into one of these two conditions.
  2. B
    Legal restrictions on consumer Remaining source text redacted.
    Why choice B matches the stem
    Correct. Argument or Facts:
    Argument

    Valid or Flawed:
    Valid

    Question Type:
    Parallel Reasoning

    Stimulus Summary:
    RT project in Ô96 → Funded by government OR Funded by corporation
    Gilman Survey: RT project in Ô96 AND not Funded by government
    Therefore - Gilman Survey: Funded by corporation

    Answer Anticipation:
    This Parallel Reasoning question heavily features conditional logic, so we should look for an answer that matches up with it:

    A → B OR C
    D: A AND not B
    Therefore - D: C

    So we need an answer that establishes one of two things must be true in a certain situation, and then one of those two is ruled out in the situation, allowing the other to be concluded.

    Answer Explanation:
    Legal restriction on consumer purchase → Paternalist OR Protect civil liberties
    O304: Legal restriction on consumer purchase AND not Paternalistic
    Therefore - O304: Protect civil liberties
    This answer has the same structure as the stimulus, so it's the correct answer.

    Key Takeaway:
    Many people taking the LSAT hate conditional logic, but it's something that you can learn through memorization and practice and apply following a set of rules that don't change. This will lead to correct answers faster than the average test taker. Make sure you're on the right side of that average!
  3. C
    Ordinance 304 is not Remaining source text redacted.
    Why choice C is not credited
    Incorrect. This answer never establishes that O304 is a legal restriction on consumer purchases, so the conditional doesn't necessarily apply and thus this argument is flawed (and not parallel).
  4. D
    Legal restrictions on consumer Remaining source text redacted.
    Why choice D is not credited
    Incorrect. This answer has a second conditional premise ("All ordinances . . . "), so it's not parallel. This answer also features an illegal reversal.
  5. E
    Ordinance 304 should be Remaining source text redacted.
    Why choice E is not credited
    Incorrect. This answer jumps from the situations under which O304 should be exercised to a situation where it was exercised. That's a jump, and therefore this argument is also flawed and not parallel with the stimulus.

What this tests

Discussion