Logical Reasoning · Weaken

PrepTest 113 · Section 2 · Question 14

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

Step 1 · Pre-Question Guidance · read this first

Question type

Weaken

The one idea it tests

A survey link can come from lopsided memory, not from cause: if one group misjudges how much it did something, the link may be fake.

The basic logic

Spot the Rooster: two things show up together, so one is called the cause. Then ask how the numbers were gathered. If people guessed their own amounts, look for an answer showing one group guessed in a lopsided way that would build the link by itself.

Tiny words that decide it

“guess”
“cause”
“likely”

Playground logic

Marcus sees two things together (the back row and forgetting) and calls it cause, a Rooster. Priya pops it by showing the forgetful kids' guesses about the back row were inflated, so the link may come from memory, not from the seats.

Step 2 · The kid story

The Back Row Mystery

Ms. Rivera worried that the back row was bad luck. She asked every kid to guess how often they sat in the back row last month and how often they forgot their homework. Kids who said they sat in back a lot also forgot homework more. 'Case closed,' said Marcus the detective. 'The back row causes forgetting!' Priya tapped her juice box. 'Wait. These are guesses. What if kids who forget homework a lot remember sitting in back more than they really did? Getting scolded might make every bad day feel like a back-row day.' Lulu checked the real seating chart on her clipboard. Sure enough, the forgetful kids had over-guessed their back-row days by a lot. 'The link,' said Priya, 'came from fuzzy memory.'

Step 3 · Try the model question

Ms. Rivera asked students to guess how often they sat in the back row last month and how often they forgot homework. Students who reported sitting in the back row a lot also reported forgetting homework a lot. Marcus concluded that sitting in the back row makes students forget homework.

Suppose each choice below is true. Which one does the most damage to Marcus's conclusion?

Step 4 · The courtroom tale

The Case of the Blamed Umbrella Stand

A store owner claimed the umbrella stand by the door made customers lose their gloves. 'We surveyed shoppers,' his lawyer said. 'Those who said they used the stand a lot also said they lost gloves a lot.' Mr. Whitfield rose. 'Your Honor, these are guesses, not records. My witness, the store's camera clerk, found that shoppers who lose gloves believe they used the stand far more than the tapes show. Losing a glove makes them remember the stand.' He snapped a suspender. 'The link comes from fuzzy memories, not the stand.' The judge set down her pen. 'A survey of guesses can't prove a cause if the guesses lean one way.'

Step 5 · Work the real question

Open PrepTest 113, Section 2, Question 14 in your official copy from LSAC (for example in LawHub) and read it there.

Your answer

How to apply it

Find the top bun: a claim that one thing causes another. Then look at the patty: how was the evidence gathered? If people reported their own amounts, the link could come from how they reported. Look for a choice showing that one group's reports were skewed in a way that would create the link on its own. Ignore choices about outside topics, and ones that leave the link standing.