Logical Reasoning · Inference (Must Be False)

PrepTest 105 · Section 4 · Question 21

Phase 1 (your first ~400 questions): read the guidance, then answer. No clock.

Step 1 · Pre-Question Guidance · read this first

Question type

Inference (Must Be False)

The one idea it tests

Four answers could be true. The right answer must be false, because it clashes head-on with what the speaker said.

The basic logic

The speaker says something you cannot choose still adds to how much praise a person earns. So any rule saying only chosen things count must be false. Look for the answer that contradicts the passage, not just one that seems odd.

Tiny words that decide it

“EXCEPT”
“more”
“despite”
“cannot choose”

Playground logic

Ms. Rivera says a drawing made with real joy earns more gold stars than one made only by following the rules, even though nobody can choose to feel joy. So Lulu knows one rule must be false: 'only what you choose counts toward stars.' Ms. Rivera just counted something you cannot choose.

Step 2 · The kid story

The Gold Star Rule

Ms. Rivera has a new gold star policy for art class. 'If you help a classmate with their drawing,' she says, 'you earn more stars if you did it partly because you felt happy helping, not just because the rules say we help.' Marcus frowns. 'But you cannot pick your feelings! I can pick to follow the rules.' 'True,' says Ms. Rivera. 'You can choose what you do, not how you feel. Still, the happy helping earns more.' Lulu writes it on her clipboard. Later, Marcus announces a new theory: 'Only stuff you pick should ever count for stars.' Lulu shakes her head. 'That cannot be right if Ms. Rivera is right. She just said feelings count, and you cannot pick feelings.' Marcus looks at the ceiling. 'I picked the wrong theory.'

Step 3 · Try the model question

Ms. Rivera: A student who helps a classmate deserves more gold stars if the help comes partly from real happiness in helping than if it comes only from following the class rules. This holds even though students can choose to follow rules but cannot choose their feelings.

If what Ms. Rivera says is true, all of these might hold EXCEPT:

Step 4 · The courtroom tale

The Medal for Kindness

In a fictional hearing, a club's rules committee defends giving a bigger kindness medal to a volunteer who helped out of warm feelings rather than out of duty alone. The committee chair admits, 'Nobody chooses their feelings. People only choose their actions.' Then a rival lawyer argues, 'Under your own rules, only chosen things count for medals!' Mr. Whitfield rises. 'Counselor, the committee just told us feelings, which nobody chooses, made the medal bigger. So your rule cannot be true if theirs is.' The judge taps her pen. 'Other claims might be true or false, but that one flatly contradicts the committee.' The rival lawyer sits down. A claim that crashes into the stated rule must be false.

Step 5 · Work the real question

Open PrepTest 105, Section 4, Question 21 in your official copy from LSAC (for example in LawHub) and read it there.

Your answer

How to apply it

Note the stem: four answers might hold, so you want the one that must be false. Write the speaker's rule in plain words, including the 'despite' part, which says what kind of thing still counts. For each answer, ask: does this directly contradict the rule? Answers that are merely unmentioned or strong-sounding can still be true. Choose the one that clashes with what the speaker explicitly said.