Logical Reasoning · Flaw

PrepTest 116 · Section 3 · 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

Flaw

The one idea it tests

Showing that a choice benefits the person who makes it does not show that it is bad for everyone else.

The basic logic

The patty is about the person's motive or gain. The top bun is about whether the choice is good or bad for the group. The secret sauce is that personal gain and group gain can't both hold. That is Attack the Kid: judging the choice by the chooser instead of by its merits.

Tiny words that decide it

“but”
“thus”
“so”

Playground logic

Sharon says Frankie wants pizza because he adores pizza, so pizza must be bad for the class. Her patty is about Frankie's motive, not the food. Attack the Kid: pizza could be great for Frankie and great for the class together.

Step 2 · The kid story

The Party Pizza Debate

The class party is Friday, and Frankie wants pizza. "It's cheap, it feeds everybody, and the pizza place delivers!" he says. Sharon crosses her arms. "Frankie, you love pizza more than anything on the planet. So you're just being selfish, and pizza would be a terrible choice for the class." Kevin raises his hand. "Can it be pineapple?" Nobody answers him. Priya sips her juice box. "Sharon, Frankie liking pizza doesn't make pizza bad. It could be good for Frankie and good for us." Lulu flips to a fresh page. "Did anyone check whether his reasons are true?" Sharon pauses. "...It is pretty cheap." Frankie grins. "Told you." Kevin raises his hand again, very hopefully.

Step 3 · Try the model question

Frankie wants pizza for the class party, citing its low cost and easy delivery. Sharon replies: Frankie loves pizza more than any other food. Thus his pick is selfish, and pizza would be a bad choice for the class.

Which criticism of Sharon's reasoning hits hardest?

Step 4 · The courtroom tale

The Case of the Bike Lane

In a fictional city court, a neighbor objects to a new bike lane. "The planner rides a bike to work every day," he says. "So the lane serves her, and it must be bad for the town." Mr. Whitfield stands and adjusts his suspenders. "Your Honor, the planner also showed the lane would cut traffic jams and fix the dangerous corner by the school. Her riding a bike doesn't make those facts false." The judge nods slowly. "So the lane can help the planner and help the town together." "Exactly. The neighbor talked about the rider, not the road." The judge writes a note. "Then we'll weigh the lane, not the planner's bicycle."

Step 5 · Work the real question

Open PrepTest 116, Section 3, Question 14 in your official copy from LSAC (for example in LawHub) and read it there.

Your answer

How to apply it

Identify what the conclusion judges (the action) and what the support talks about (the person's gain or motive). Notice the gap: the argument assumes that if the action helps the person, it cannot help the group. Look for the answer that points out both can be true together. Skip answers about rights, the critic's own motives, or other side issues the argument never relies on.