PrepTest 155

Incorrect. The argument doesn't have to define all words, especially ones that have a common meaning that clearly matches up with the other terms.

Incorrect. Be careful—conditional statements can feel causal, but they're not. Before selecting an answer like this, make sure that there is causal language in the stimulus.

Incorrect. Be careful—conditional statements can feel causal, but they're not. Before selecting an answer like this, make sure that there is causal language in the stimulus. This answer is particularly tempting because it's mixing up the two "sides" of a relationship, but the relationship in the argument is conditional, not causal.

Correct. Argument or Facts:
Argument

Valid or Flawed:
Flawed

Question Type:
Errors in Reasoning

Stimulus Summary:
not Water OR not Sun OR not Rich Soil → not Productive
Patricia: Garden has plenty of water, sun, and rich soil.
Therefore, her garden will be productive.

Answer Anticipation:
Noticing that this is a conditional argument allows us to really structure our understanding of the stimulus. By diagramming the conditional, we can see that the argument commits an illegal negation. Lacking water, sun, and soil will guarantee an unproductive garden, but that doesn't mean having them will guarantee a productive one.

Answer Explanation:
This answer reflects the conditional error in reasoning. If you take the contrapositive of the rule from our summary, you can see that water, sun, and rich soil are necessary for a productive garden, but the argument treats them as sufficient.

Key Takeaway:
Don't confuse conditional and causal language—they are separate, and not noticing the difference will result in you getting answers wrong!

Incorrect. There is no sample here—there is a conditional statement, and then a single garden.