Logical Reasoning · Parallel Flaw
PrepTest 101 · Section 2 · Question 5
Phase 1 (your first ~400 questions): read the guidance, then answer. No clock.
Step 1 · Pre-Question Guidance · read this first
- “altogether”
- “any other”
- “the most”
- “therefore”
Playground logic
The Blue Team scored the most goals as a team, so Marcus says the league's top scorer must be on Blue. But a big team total can come from lots of kids scoring a little, while the star plays elsewhere: a Team-to-Star Mix-Up.
Step 2 · The kid story
The Soccer Star Mix-Up
When the season ended, Ms. Rivera read the results. 'The Blue Team scored more total goals than any other team.' Marcus jumped up. 'Then the kid who scored the most goals in the whole league is on Blue Team. Obviously.' Nadia raised her hand. 'Actually, I'm on Red Team, and I scored nine goals. Nobody on Blue scored more than five.' 'Impossible!' said Marcus. Owen explained, 'Blue Team has fifteen kids who each scored a few. Red Team has six kids, and Nadia scored most of ours.' Lulu wrote on her clipboard: 'Biggest team pile does not mean biggest single kid.' Marcus sat down. 'So a team can win the total and still not have the star?' 'Yep,' said Nadia, doing a tiny victory dance.
Step 3 · Try the model question
The Blue Team scored more total goals than any other team in the league. So the league's top individual scorer plays for the Blue Team.
Which choice shows a flaw most like the flaw above?
Step 4 · The courtroom tale
The Top Salesperson
Ms. Lindqvist sued for a bonus promised to 'the company's top seller.' The company's lawyer said, 'The Eastern office sold more than any other office. The top seller must work in Eastern, and she works in Western.' Mr. Whitfield stood. 'Your Honor, Eastern has eighty salespeople. Western has four. Eastern's pile is bigger because it has more hands, not better hands.' He handed up a chart. 'My client sold more than any single person in Eastern.' The judge studied it. 'So the office with the biggest total need not contain the biggest individual.' 'Precisely. A big team total tells you about the team, not about who the star is.'
Step 5 · Work the real question
Open PrepTest 101, Section 2, Question 5 in your official copy from LSAC (for example in LawHub) and read it there.
Your answer
How to apply it
X-Ray the original before looking at the choices. Write its bones in letters: group G has the largest combined total, so the top individual is in G. Name the flaw: Team-to-Star Mix-Up. Now X-Ray each choice the same way, ignoring the setting. Cross off any choice whose reasoning is actually valid (Fixed Twin), any that makes a different mistake such as switching what is being counted or overlapping two majorities (Broken Twin), and any that only shares the surface story (Matching Costume). Keep the one whose skeleton matches.