Logical Reasoning · Strengthen (EXCEPT)

PrepTest 116 · Section 3 · Question 20

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

Step 1 · Pre-Question Guidance · read this first

Question type

Strengthen (EXCEPT)

The one idea it tests

Four answers give a reason the new version beats the old one; the right answer gives no such reason.

The basic logic

The conclusion compares a new product to an old one and says the new one will be more useful. Each helpful answer either shows the new inputs are better, shows the old inputs are stale, or shows the thing measured really matters. The correct answer is the one that leaves the comparison untouched: it may be true, but it does not favor the new version.

Tiny words that decide it

“EXCEPT”
“more useful”
“now”
“each”

Playground logic

Priya's top bun is that her new sledding guide will beat Grandpa's old one. The patty is the difference in inputs: lots of fresh measurements versus a few old memories. In an EXCEPT strengthen, four answers pile on more patty, and the one we want is a Bystander that never takes a side.

Step 2 · The kid story

The Great Sledding Guide

The only sledding guide in town is a drawing Grandpa made when he was a kid, based on what four of his friends remembered. Priya decides to make a new one. She gets forty kids to time their sled runs on every hill, and she uses a phone app to measure how steep each hill is. 'My guide will be way more useful,' she announces. Marcus wants to help. 'Here is a fact for you: most kids in town own a sled!' Priya thinks. 'True, but that does not help my guide beat Grandpa's. Both guides are for kids with sleds.' Lulu adds, 'Here is a better fact. Grandpa's guide spelled the hill names wrong, so kids got lost.' Priya grins. 'Now that helps.'

Step 3 · Try the model question

The town's only sledding guide was drawn decades ago from the memories of four kids. A new guide is being made using timed runs from forty kids and steepness readings from a phone app. The new guide will be much more useful.

Each choice below, assuming it is accurate, offers some reason to expect the new guide to beat the old one EXCEPT:

Step 4 · The courtroom tale

The Bike Path Map Dispute

In a fictional city council hearing turned courtroom, two sides argue over a new bike path map. The old map came from three riders long ago. The new one uses route data from two thousand riders. Mr. Whitfield lists his supports: the riders' data is fresher, the paths have been repaved since, and riders care most about the routes the data tracks. The other lawyer stands. 'I have one too, Your Honor. The mayor's favorite color is blue.' The judge peers over her glasses. 'Counsel, that helps neither map. It is not a reason to prefer the new one.' Mr. Whitfield whispers to his client, 'And that is how you spot the exception.'

Step 5 · Work the real question

Open PrepTest 116, Section 3, Question 20 in your official copy from LSAC (for example in LawHub) and read it there.

Your answer

How to apply it

State the conclusion as a comparison: new beats old. Note what makes the new one different, such as more inputs, newer inputs, or extra kinds of inputs. Then test each answer: does it give the new version an edge? Mark the ones that do. The correct answer is the one that leaves both versions in the same place, or is simply off topic. Do not hunt for a weakener; a neutral answer is enough.