Logical Reasoning · Principle

PrepTest 116 · 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

Question type

Principle

The one idea it tests

The speaker says do not jump at a tempting offer without more thought, because a serious risk is attached. Match a rule that calls for caution, not a ban.

The basic logic

Notice how strong the conclusion is: it says think more first, not never. Find a rule whose trigger fits the facts (a risky situation) and whose verdict fits the conclusion (be careful). Watch the strength level closely.

Tiny words that decide it

“always”
“never”
“but”
“should not”

Playground logic

Priya's top bun: don't let the bonus cards rush Tommy into the trade without thinking harder. Her patty: the gain is real, but both traders often break promises. The matching rule: be careful about deals with people who tend to break promises.

Step 2 · The kid story

The Bonus Card Bait

Two sixth graders offered Tommy a deal. Lend them his bike for a week, and they would hand over three shiny bonus cards on top of the trade. Tommy's eyes went wide. Shiny cards! Priya held up her juice box like a stop sign. "Tommy, don't let those bonus cards rush you. Think about it first." "But I'd get more cards!" "True," said Priya. "You could come out ahead. But both of those kids have broken promises before. Remember the scooter?" Tommy remembered the scooter. It came back with one wheel. Lulu wrote on her clipboard: Not "never trade." Just "slow down." Priya nodded. "I'm not saying no forever. I'm saying be careful with deals from people who don't keep promises."

Step 3 · Try the model question

Priya: Tommy should not let the offer of bonus cards push him into lending his bike without more thought. He might come out ahead, but both kids offering the deal have broken promises before.

Priya's advice is best supported by which one of these principles?

Step 4 · The courtroom tale

The Free Billboard Offer

A bakery owner was offered a free billboard for a year if she opened a second shop in a mall. Her accountant urged her to sign at once. She paused, and later the accountant sued her for lost commissions. Mr. Whitfield defended the baker. "Your Honor, the billboard was a real benefit. But that mall has changed owners four times in two years. My client did not refuse forever. She simply refused to be hurried." The judge agreed. "A shaky landlord is a reason for care, not a reason to say yes on the spot." Case dismissed. The lesson: when an attractive bonus comes with a serious risk, the sensible rule is to proceed with caution, not to jump and not to ban.

Step 5 · Work the real question

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

Your answer

How to apply it

Find the conclusion and measure its strength: does it forbid, or does it only urge more thought? Find the reason: a risk that outweighs a tempting gain. Look for a principle that covers this kind of risky situation and gives a verdict at the same strength. Reject rules that are stronger than the conclusion, rules that rank one factor above all others, and rules that point the other way toward grabbing the gain.