Logical Reasoning · Main Conclusion
PrepTest 112 · Section 3 · Question 3
Phase 1 (your first ~400 questions): read the guidance, then answer. No clock.
Step 1 · Pre-Question Guidance · read this first
- “it follows that”
- “requirement”
- “no ... without”
Playground logic
Kevin's bottom bun: study time is limited, and memory tricks make it go further. His patty: all the finalists study about the same amount. His top bun: to win, you NEED the best memory tricks. Put that last line in new words and you have your answer.
Step 2 · The kid story
Kevin's Spelling Secret
Kevin was preparing for the school spelling bee, and of course he started with dinosaurs. "Pachycephalosaurus! P-A-C-H..." Priya stopped him. "Kevin, listen. Everybody only has so many hours to study after school. Memory tricks help you squeeze more out of those hours, like making up silly songs for hard words." Kevin nodded, still thinking about dinosaurs. "And here is the thing," Priya went on. "All six finalists study almost exactly the same amount. Mrs. Bell checked. So study time cannot be what separates them. That means a must-have for winning the bee is having the best memory tricks." Kevin blinked. "So nobody wins without great tricks?" "Bingo," said Priya. Kevin grinned. "Then my pineapple-pizza song for spelling 'necessary' is going to carry me."
Step 3 · Try the model question
Study hours are limited, and memory tricks help a speller use those hours well. All the finalists study about the same amount. So having the best memory tricks is a must for winning the spelling bee.
What is Priya's main point?
Step 4 · The courtroom tale
The Case of the Pie Contest
At the county pie contest hearing, a baker claimed she was robbed. Judge Amara Osei listened to the head taster, a calm man with flour on his sleeves. "Every finalist used the same oven and the same apples," he said. "Ovens and apples are limited, and good crust skills make the most of them. So, Your Honor, my conclusion is this: a must for winning our contest is a superior crust." The baker's lawyer jumped up. "So he says great crust guarantees a ribbon!" The judge shook her head. "No. He said nobody wins without it. That is a requirement, not a promise. Please do not put a bigger claim in his mouth."
Step 5 · Work the real question
Open PrepTest 112, Section 3, Question 3 in your official copy from LSAC (for example in LawHub) and read it there.
Your answer
How to apply it
Look for the conclusion signal and mark the top bun. If it states a requirement, translate it into "no X without Y." Check each choice: does it say the same thing, at the same strength, in the same direction? Cross out premises and any choice that changes the meaning or strength of the top bun.