Logical Reasoning · Paradox

PrepTest 133 · Section 2 · Question 8

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

Two reports that seem to contradict each other can both be true if they are measuring different things.

The basic logic

Two accurate sources reach opposite verdicts on the same general question. Look for a fact showing they were looking at different parts or kinds of the thing, so both can be right. That passes the Handshake Test.

Tiny words that decide it

“both”
“yet”
“different”

Playground logic

Lulu's report says the classroom is tidy; Owen's says it's a disaster. Both are accurate, because Lulu checked the desks and Owen checked the coat closet. Different spots, so no contradiction.

Step 2 · The kid story

The Two Tidiness Reports

Ms. Rivera asked two students to report on how messy the classroom was before parents' night. Lulu came back first with her clipboard. "Very tidy. Hardly any mess." Ten minutes later Owen stumbled in, holding a lost sneaker. "It's a disaster! Mess everywhere!" Marcus threw up his hands. "One of you is lying!" Ms. Rivera checked both reports. Every word was accurate. Priya sipped her juice box and smiled. "Lulu, where did you look?" "The desks." "Owen?" "The coat closet." Everyone laughed. The desks were spotless. The coat closet was a jungle of mittens and lunch bags. "Same classroom," said Priya, "different corners. Both reports can be true when they're about different kinds of mess."

Step 3 · Try the model question

Ms. Rivera asked Lulu and Owen to report on how messy the classroom was. Both reports were accurate. Yet Lulu's said the room had very little mess, and Owen's said the room was badly messy.

Which choice, if true, best resolves the apparent conflict between the two reports?

Step 4 · The courtroom tale

The Noisy Neighborhood Case

A family sued their city, and two sound experts testified. The first said the street was quiet. The second said it was dangerously loud. "Your Honor," groaned the city's lawyer, "one of these experts must be wrong!" Mr. Whitfield raised a finger. "Expert One, when did you measure?" "Weekday afternoons." "Expert Two?" "Saturday nights, during the street market." Mr. Whitfield turned to the bench. "Both experts told the truth. They measured different times. A quiet afternoon and a roaring Saturday night can share the same street." The judge chuckled. "So the contradiction was never real."

Step 5 · Work the real question

Open PrepTest 133, Section 2, Question 8 in your official copy from LSAC (for example in LawHub) and read it there.

Your answer

How to apply it

State the puzzle in one line: two accurate sources, opposite verdicts. Ask how both could be true at once. The best answer usually shows the sources were looking at different parts, kinds, or times of the thing being studied. Use the Handshake Test: does the answer let both reports be right together? Remember that something both sources share can never explain why they differ.