Logical Reasoning · Paradox

PrepTest 128 · Section 2 · Question 4

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

Step 1 · Pre-Question Guidance · read this first

Question type

Paradox

The one idea it tests

If an animal reacts to outside conditions it cannot directly sense, it must be picking up some other cue that tracks those conditions.

The basic logic

State both facts that seem to clash. The fix must shake hands with both: explain how the outside condition reaches the creature even though its own spot stays the same.

Tiny words that decide it

“even though”
“remains”
“more often”

Playground logic

Mr. Whiskers stays in a basement that never changes, yet he comes upstairs far more on sunny days. The Handshake Test needs an answer that explains how he could know it is sunny from down there, like a cue that travels with the sunshine.

Step 2 · The kid story

How Does Mr. Whiskers Know?

Mr. Whiskers naps in the basement, where there are no windows and the light is always the same dim yellow. Upstairs, the porch gets lovely sunbeams on sunny afternoons, and Mr. Whiskers adores sunbeams. Lulu kept a chart for two weeks. On sunny afternoons, Mr. Whiskers climbed up to the porch almost every time. On cloudy afternoons, he mostly stayed down. "But how does he KNOW?" asked Tommy. "It looks the same down there every single day." Marcus guessed, "He has a weather app." Priya laughed and pointed at the air vent near the basement floor. "Listen." Through the vent came the chirping of the birds in the yard. "Birds sing a lot more on sunny days," she said. "He can't see the sun, but he can hear the birds."

Step 3 · Try the model question

Mr. Whiskers naps in a windowless basement that looks and feels the same every day. Lulu found that he climbs up to the sunny porch much more often on sunny afternoons than on cloudy ones.

Which choice, if accurate, does the most to clear up the puzzle in Lulu's findings?

Step 4 · The courtroom tale

The Bakery That Knew It Was Raining

A worker sued, saying his boss somehow knew when it rained, even though the kitchen has no windows. "She always bakes extra soup bread on rainy days," he said. "It's spooky." Mr. Whitfield called the baker. "Ma'am, how do you know?" She shrugged. "The pipes. When it rains hard, the drain in the kitchen gurgles loudly." Mr. Whitfield turned to the judge. "Your Honor, no magic. She can't see the rain, but she hears a sound that comes with it." The judge chuckled. "Mystery solved. Case dismissed."

Step 5 · Work the real question

Open PrepTest 128, Section 2, Question 4 in your official copy from LSAC (for example in LawHub) and read it there.

Your answer

How to apply it

Write the two clashing facts: the creature acts differently with the outside condition, yet its own surroundings do not change. Ask how information about the outside could get in. Test each choice with the Handshake Test: it must account for both facts. Drop choices that only explain why the outside condition is attractive, choices about other groups or seasons, and choices that make the clash worse.