Logical Reasoning · Inference (Complete the Argument)
PrepTest 129 · Section 2 · Question 2
Phase 1 (your first ~400 questions): read the guidance, then answer. No clock.
Step 1 · Pre-Question Guidance · read this first
- “since”
- “more than”
- “should not”
Playground logic
Owen's patty: marathon gaming leaves him foggy for more than a day, and being sharp at the swim meet matters. The missing top bun just snaps those together: skip the marathon gaming on the day right before a meet.
Step 2 · The kid story
Owen's Foggy Fins
Owen loves two things: swimming and a video game called Robot Llama Rescue. When he plays it for hours in a row, his brain feels like soggy cereal for more than a day. On Saturday, Owen had a swim meet. On Friday, he played Robot Llama Rescue from lunch until bedtime. At the meet, he dove in, forgot which stroke he was swimming, and did half a lap of something Priya called 'the confused octopus.' Priya sipped her juice box. "Long gaming makes you foggy for over a day. You need a clear head at meets. So..." Lulu finished it on her clipboard: "So no marathon gaming the day before a meet!" Owen sighed. "Can I at least name my goggles Robot Llama?" "Yes," said Priya.
Step 3 · Try the model question
Long gaming sessions leave Owen foggy for more than a day, while short sessions do not. Owen needs a clear head at swim meets. So, ______.
Which one of these best finishes Priya's argument?
Step 4 · The courtroom tale
The Case of the Drowsy Juror
Judge Park banged her gavel. "Juror Number Four, you snored through the closing arguments." The juror blinked. "Sorry, Your Honor. I ran a pancake-eating contest the night before. Forty pancakes leave me sleepy for more than a day." Mr. Whitfield raised a finger. "Your Honor, if I may. Pancake contests cause sleepiness that lasts more than a day. Jurors must be alert in court. So the conclusion writes itself." "Which is?" "No pancake contests the day before jury duty." The judge nodded. "Not 'no pancakes ever,' Mr. Whitfield?" "No, Your Honor. The evidence only reaches the day before. I would never overreach on pancakes."
Step 5 · Work the real question
Open PrepTest 129, Section 2, Question 2 in your official copy from LSAC (for example in LawHub) and read it there.
Your answer
How to apply it
Read the premises leading up to the blank and name each link in your own words, especially how long an effect lasts and when freshness matters. Predict the conclusion before looking. Then pick the choice that joins those links with the same scope: no bigger claims, no new comparisons, no new groups. Eliminate choices that add facts the premises never gave.