Logical Reasoning · Strengthen
PrepTest 112 · Section 3 · Question 7
Phase 1 (your first ~400 questions): read the guidance, then answer. No clock.
Step 1 · Pre-Question Guidance · read this first
- “therefore”
- “should”
- “most”
- “cause”
Playground logic
Lulu's patty: lots of recess squabbles come from hunger, and most kids are a bit hungry by mid-morning. Her top bun: let kids eat their snack whenever they want. The missing link is that a flexible snack time would actually make kids less hungry.
Step 2 · The kid story
Lulu's Snack Plan
Lulu had been taking notes on her clipboard for two weeks. "Here is what I found," she told Ms. Rivera. "Most fights at recess start with a hungry kid. Grumpy over who gets the swing. Snapping about the four-square rules. And almost everybody in our class is at least a little hungry by ten o'clock." Ms. Rivera nodded. "So what do you suggest?" Lulu flipped a page. "We should let kids eat their snack whenever they want during the morning, not just at the snack bell." Marcus, listening in, scratched his head. "But would kids actually be less hungry? Maybe they would eat their snack at eight thirty and be starving by ten anyway." Lulu frowned at her clipboard. She needed one more piece: proof that her plan would really cut the hunger.
Step 3 · Try the model question
Many recess fights are caused by hunger. Most students in the class are somewhat hungry by mid-morning. Therefore, the class should let students eat their snacks at any time during the morning.
Suppose each choice is true. Which one gives Lulu's plan the biggest boost?
Step 4 · The courtroom tale
The Case of the Noisy Library
The Riverside Library board went to court over a new rule. Librarian Okafor testified: "Your Honor, most complaints in our library come from crowding near the front desk. And almost every visitor waits in that crowd. So we should let people check out books at self-service stations anywhere in the building." The opposing lawyer smirked. "But would anyone actually use them? Maybe people will crowd the front desk anyway." Mr. Whitfield stood and snapped his suspenders. "Your Honor, I submit the pilot report. In the branch that tried self-service stations, the front desk crowd shrank by half." The judge looked up. "Then the fix really does shrink the cause. That fills the gap nicely."
Step 5 · Work the real question
Open PrepTest 112, Section 3, Question 7 in your official copy from LSAC (for example in LawHub) and read it there.
Your answer
How to apply it
Split the argument into problem, cause, and proposed fix. Notice what is missing: proof that the fix touches the cause. Hunt for the choice that says the fix would actually reduce the cause. Be wary of choices that talk about the problem but never link it to the proposed change.